4th meeting of the India - Central Asia Dialogue held at New
Delhi on 06 June 2025

External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar chaired the 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi on 6 June 2025 in which Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan participated. The 3rd meeting of the Dialogue was also hosted by India in New Delhi in December 2021.

2. India and Central Asia, in each other’s ‘Extended Neighbourhood’, enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The first India-Central Summit held virtually in January 2022 and the mechanism of India-Central Asia Dialogue, at the level of Foreign Ministers, have taken this relationship substantially forward.
3. At the 4th Dialogue, on 6 June 2025, the Ministers discussed further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation. They will also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest.
4. The Foreign Ministers also participated in the India-Central Asia Business Council meeting held on 5 June 2025, organized by MEA in collaboration with FICCI.
5. The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding.
6. On the sidelines of the Dialogue, Kazakhstan’s DPM & FM Murat Nurtleu met with EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar. EAM on June 5, 2025. EAM appreciated Kazakhstan’s reaffirmation of zero tolerance for terrorism in the wake of heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Both FMs discussed various facets of Strategic Partnership between India and Kazakhstan, focusing on political, trade, investment and energy cooperation.  They also spoke about widening connectivity with the Central Asia region.  Both FMs signed a Program of Cooperation for strengthening India - Kazakhstan ties. [Video attached]
7. A Joint Statement was issued at the conclusion of the Dialogue (text appended below) 

Joint Statement of 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue (June 06, 2025)

The 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 6 June 2025 under the chairship of the External Affairs Minister of India. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.

2. The Ministers underlined the civilizational, cultural, and people-to-people linkages between India and Central Asian countries and reaffirmed their commitment to building a forward-looking, comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership.

3. The Ministers appreciated the role of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, as a valuable platform for strengthening the multifaceted cooperation, addressing common challenges and tapping unrealised potential. They emphasized that cooperation between India and Central Asia seeks to enhance regional peace, security, stability, sustainable economic growth and continued prosperity in the region.

4. The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress in implementation of the decisions taken by the Leaders at the 1st India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022.

5. The Ministers noted the current level of trade and investment between India and Central Asian countries and stressed the importance of making concerted efforts to realise the full potential of mutual trade, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, information technology, agriculture, energy, textiles, gems and jewellery etc.

6. The Ministers underlined the importance of greater financial connectivity between India and Central Asian countries, including through digital payment systems, enhanced interbank relations, and trade in national currencies to encourage greater trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Recognising the important role of financial and banking linkages, the Sides also expressed interest to establish a Joint Working Group to explore ways to further deepen banking and financial connectivity between India and Central Asian partners.

7. The Ministers emphasized optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries. They stressed that connectivity initiatives should be based on the principles of transparency, broad participation, local priorities, financial sustainability, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. India reiterated its support for the membership of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in INSTC. In this context, Ministers appreciated the initiative taken by Kazakhstan to develop the eastern branch of INSTC.

8. The Ministers appreciated the First meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Chabahar Port held in Mumbai in April 2023. India welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at the Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond. The Sides agreed to continue engagement for further developing the transit and transport potential of their countries, through simplification and streamlining of goods transit procedures, including greater use of TIR Carnet between India and Central Asia.

9. The Ministers welcomed the efforts of the India-Central Asia Business Council (ICABC), as a B-2-B body under the India-Central Asia Dialogue, to promote business linkages, identify potential areas for investments, and facilitate greater understanding of business regulations.

10. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asia appreciated the important role of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme in capacity building and human resource development of their countries, especially in Information Technology and communication skills in the English language. India agreed to expand the scope of ITEC programmes to cover more areas of interest to Central Asian countries.

11. The Ministers also expressed interest in strengthening mutual cooperation in the field of Science and Technology, Space, and Innovation by enhancing direct cooperation between government organizations, research institutes, innovation centres and technological enterprises of India and the Central Asian countries.

12. The Central Asian countries noted the importance of India Stack in accelerating digital transformation and providing public service delivery at scale. India agreed to provide assistance in developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Central Asian countries. The Ministers agreed to establish India-Central Asia Digital Partnership Forum and welcomed Uzbekistan’s offer to host the inaugural meeting.

13. Underscoring the importance of technology cooperation as a vital pillar of development partnership between India and Central Asian countries, the Ministers agreed to work together to harness innovative solutions in areas such as public health, strengthening food security and energy security. The sides acknowledged the potential of leveraging digital tools and capacity-building initiatives to address common challenges and promote inclusive and sustainable growth.

14. The Ministers expressed their desire to deepen cooperation in the health-care sector, including medical tourism. Following India’s "One Earth, One Health” vision, the sides agreed to work together to enhance healthcare infrastructure and medical service delivery, and promote traditional medicine in Central Asian countries. India also offered technical support for designing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) models in Central Asia. They also agreed to explore possibility of establishing Joint Working Group on Cooperation in Healthcare.

15. The Sides expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earth and critical minerals. Appreciating the outcomes of the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum held in September 2024 in New Delhi, they called upon the relevant authorities to hold the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest convenience. The Ministers also encouraged exchange of delegations to explore new areas of cooperation in critical minerals.

16. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to deepening and expanding collaboration in capacity building. In this regard, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian countries appreciated the successful organisation of capacity building programmes by India for Drug Law Enforcement Officers from Central Asian countries in December 2024 and on Countering Financing of Terrorism in New Delhi in April 2025.

17. Taking forward the South-South cooperation, the Ministers agreed to work closely with India’s Global South Centre of Excellence "DAKSHIN” (Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative) to learn from each other’s development experiences.

18. Recalling the age-old cultural and civilizational links between India and the Central Asian countries, the Sides stressed on the importance of promoting bilateral cooperation in cultural, educational and humanitarian spheres to further invigorate people-to-people contacts. Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian countries appreciated the role played by the Indian Cultural Centres in strengthening India-Central Asia cultural relations. The Ministers welcomed Tajikistan’s offer to host the second meeting of India-Central Asia Culture Ministers.

19. The Ministers noted the importance of holding regular consultations among the National Security Councils of India and the Central Asian countries to strengthen efforts to counter terrorism and other emerging challenges in the region. They looked forward to the third edition of the Consultations to be held in the Kyrgyz Republic.

20. The Ministers unequivocally condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgham. They reaffirmed their firm commitment to fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations. They stressed that perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice. In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They stressed the need to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards.

21. The Ministers welcomed the designation of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust" in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution Number 78/266 of 21 March 2024, initiated by Turkmenistan, and the holding of the "International Forum of Peace and Trust" in 2025 in Ashgabat.

22. Ministers commended the First High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation, held on 29 - 31 May 2025 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan as part of observing the International year of Glaciers’ Preservation – 2025 and World Glaciers’ Day – 21 March, which emphasized the crucial connection between glaciers and sustainable socio-economic development.

23. Ministers noted the importance of implementing the resolution of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly "Sustainable Mountain Development", which declared 2023-2027 as the "Five-Year Action Plan for the Development of Mountain Regions", in order to strengthen international cooperation on the mountain agenda and its further effective implementation and expressed their readiness to actively participate in the Second Global Mountain Summit "Bishkek+25" in 2027 at a high level."

24. The Ministers noted the important role played by the SCO in creating conditions for strengthening peace, security, stability, economic development and people-to-people exchanges in the region. They highly appreciated the results of the meeting of the Council of SCO Heads of State held in Astana on 04 July 2024. They noted that Central Asia will always remain at the core of the SCO, and it is important to prioritize the interests and aspirations of the Central Asian countries. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asia appreciated the proactive engagement of India in SCO and commended the outcomes of the Council of SCO Heads of State hosted by India on 04 July 2023.

25. India highlighted the role of "International Solar Alliance (ISA)” and "Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA)” as effective mechanisms for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. The important role of "Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)” in promoting disaster resilient infrastructure for reducing economic losses and improving the well-being of communities in the face of calamities and the role of "International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)” in conservation of big cats was noted by the Central Asian ministers. India invited Central Asian countries to join the ISA, GBA, IBCA and CDRI.

26. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian countries reiterated support of their countries for permanent membership of India in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council.

27. The Ministers reiterated their strong support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan which is free from terrorism, war and drugs. They stressed the need to stand by the people of Afghanistan. The Ministers agreed to continue close coordination and consultations on matters related to Afghanistan.

28. The Ministers commended the integration of the regional logistics hub in Termez, Uzbekistan into the global stockpile network to enhance UNHCR’s capacity for the rapid delivery of core relief items to forcibly displaced people worldwide.

29. The Ministers welcomed the initiative of Kazakhstan to establish the UN Hub on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. They reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in advancing the SDG agenda throughout the region.

30. The Ministers appreciated the successful annual visits of youth delegations from Central Asian countries to India and emphasized the role of such visits in building strong people-to-people ties. Taking note of the large number of students from India and the Central Asian countries studying in each other’s higher educational institutions, the Ministers stressed the importance of ensuring their welfare.

31. The Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to work towards advancing mutual objectives and deepening collaboration across shared priorities to prepare ground for holding the second India-Central Asia Summit at a mutually convenient date in 2025.

32. The Ministers of Central Asian countries thanked the External Affairs Minister of India for the warm hospitality accorded to their delegations for the 4th meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi. The Ministers agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in 2026.

New Delhi
June 06, 2025

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