New Delhi, India: India and Uzbekistan have agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, alongside a series of agreements covering culture, healthcare, minerals, tourism, education, finance and environmental cooperation.
The outcomes were announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Uzbekistan. The two countries signed or agreed to 11 memoranda and agreements covering a broad range of areas.
Among the agreements is a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026-30, while India and Uzbekistan will also cooperate on the conservation and restoration of the ancient Buddhist sites of Fayaz Tepa and KaraTepa in Termez. Another agreement focuses on archival cooperation between India’s National Archives and Uzbekistan’s Uzarchive.
The countries also signed an agreement on cooperation in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine. Cooperation in geology and mineral resources was included through an understanding between India’s Ministry of Mines and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology.
Tourism cooperation will be guided by a partnership programme covering 2026-28. The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation between India’s Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and Uzbekistan’s Diplomatic Academy. An economic and financial dialogue between the two countries will be established under an agreement between their respective finance ministries.
Environmental protection and higher education are also part of the expanded cooperation. India and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on environmental protection and another on cooperation in higher education and scientific research. Gujarat and Uzbekistan’s Samarkand region separately agreed to establish partnership relations.
Several additional initiatives were announced during the visit. India will provide USD 1 million for afforestation in the Aral Sea region, while 100 Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarships for Hindi language studies will be offered. An ICCR Sanskrit Chair will also be established at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
In the digital payments sector, NPCI International Payments Ltd. and Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre have entered into a commercial agreement enabling Indian UPI apps to scan Uzbekistan’s national UZQR codes for merchant payments.
Source: This article is based on an official press release issued by the Press Informaton Bureau
Press Release: Press Information Bureau
