India and Uzbekistan on Wednesday held discussion on a range of regional and international issues of mutual interest during 15th round of India-Uzbekistan Foreign Office Consultations.
The consultations were co-chaired by Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Verma and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Furkat Sidikov. The last round of FoC was held in virtual format in November 2020.
According to a press release of Ministry of External Affairs, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation including political, security, trade-economic, connectivity, development partnership, humanitarian and cultural spheres. The talks particularly focused on greater economic cooperation and steps to enhance connectivity between India and Uzbekistan.
Both sides agreed to exploit the full potential of Chabahar port for trade between the two countries. The Chabahar port is India’s much needed gateway to landlocked Afghanistan. The port has also emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region.
The two countries exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan. They agreed to further enhance cooperation in the UN, SCO and other multilateral fora. Indian side conveyed its full support for Uzbekistan’s ongoing chairmanship of SCO.
Both sides highly assessed the holding of the 1st India-Central Asia Summit in January this year and agreed to expeditiously implement its outcomes along with other Central Asian countries.
The talks were held in the traditional spirit of friendship and understanding. The FoC was useful in taking stock of the implementation of decisions taken during high-level meetings held in the last two years, including the Virtual Summit in December 2020. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of consultations on a mutually convenient date in Uzbekistan.