PM Narendra Modi to visit 5 central Asian nations after Brics summit

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi is planning a trip to five Central Asian countries in July, with an eye on tapping huge natural resources including hydrocarbon and uranium. Modi plans to spend a day each in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, diplomatic sources indicated. The trip is being clubbed with Modi’s maiden visit to Russia for the Brics summit in Ufa on July 8 and 9, sources hinted. Modi is also expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the same city on July 9 and 10.
India may be given a membership in the regional grouping after years of demand to upgrade the status from observer. Officials, however, did not wish to comment on the deliverables from the single day trips to the Central Asian. A key objective behind in increasing engagements with Central Asia is also to expand India’s presence in the periphery of China.

Beijing has made huge inroads in the region, with which it shares geographical boundaries, by laying pipelines to harness hydrocarbon and constructing railway and road network to connect Europe via Central Asia. Prime ministerial trips to Central Asia have been few and far between notwithstanding its geographical proximity, strategic importance and abundance of natural resources.

While former PM Narsimha Rao visited four of the five Central Asian states immediately after the dissolution of Soviet Union, Manmohan Singh made two separate trips to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan during his decade-long tenure as PM. Atal Bihari Vajpayee too had visited Almaty during his premiership. In comparison leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have been in Delhi on several occasions since 1991.

Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev was the chief guest at 2009 Republic Day celebrations when the two sides signed a deal for supply of uranium. India had received consignments of yellow cake from Kazakhstan in succeeding years. India is eyeing to harness crude oil from Kazakhstan besides natural gas from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.



However, lack of road and sea access has not allowed India to realise full trade potential with the region. This could change after India develops the Chabahar port in Iran and will use the nation as a transit for Central Asia. India’s defence ties with some countries of the region have been upgraded in recent years. India also shares historical bonds with Central Asia and enjoys goodwill in the region, thanks to its ties with the erstwhile Soviet Union of which the nations were a part.