INDIA-CENTRAL ASIA 

1. Context 

2. Key Points

• The meeting, which took place in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the security situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban, flowed from the first India-Central Asia virtual summit of January 27 this year.
• The leaders of the Central Asian Countries had been invited to the Republic Day Celebrations, but their in-person participation was scuttled by the Omicron-led Covid surge in India.

3. Relations with Central Asia

• The Silk Route Connected India with Central Asia from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD.
• From the export of Buddhism to the lasting influence of Bollywood, India has shared old and deep cultural ties with the region.

• Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao visited Kazakstan and Uzbekistan in 1992 and Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan in 1995.
• In 2003, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the first Prime Minister to visit Tajikistan; he travelled to Kazakhstan the previous year.
• Manmohan Singh visited Uzbekistan in 2006 and the Kazakh capital Astana in 2011.
• Despite India's focus on its other relationships the US (nuclear deal), China (2003 border pact) and Pakistan (in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks diplomatic parts continued to move on to Central Asia.
  India also attended Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits, which were attended by the Central Asian countries and put in its request for membership.
• The focused engagement began with the "Connect Central Asia Policy" in 2012, which received a fillip with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to all five Central Asia countries in July 2015 the first by an Indian Prime Minister.

4. Strategic space

• Central Asia has always been seen as Russia's backyard some 20-30 per cent of the population is of Russian origin and Russia is spoken widely.
• Central Asia is extremely rich in mineral and natural resources. Kazakhstan has one of the biggest reserves of uranium, besides stores of coal, lead, zinc, gold and iron ore.
• The Kyrya Republic is rich in gold and hydro-power and Turkmenistan has one of the world's largest reserves of natural gas.
• Tajikistan has huge hydropower potential and Uzbekistan has gold, uranium and natural gas.
• China's President Xi Jinping chose to visit four Central Asia countries on his first overseas trip in September 2022 after two years of Covid-related disruption, underlining the strategic importance of this region.

1. Security cooperation after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan;
2. To counter China's influence in the region;
3. Plans for connectivity with Europe including the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) 
4. To meet its energy needs (Turkmenistan is part of the proposed TAPI gas pipeline) and
5. For reasons for old cultural links and trade potential. 

• The recent engagement began with the India-Central Asia foreign ministers meeting on December 19, 2021.
• That meeting was held against the backdrop of the fall of Kabul in mid-August last year and a little more than a month after the NSAs of Central Asian Countries, along with the NSAs of Russia and Iran, attended the Afghanistan-focused Regional Security Dialogue in New Delhi.
• Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan share borders with Afghanistan.

6. Concerns and objectives 

• Central Asia's Concerns and objectives in Afghanistan were similar and their goal was " truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities.
• An integrated approach to regional cooperation and flagged Afghanistan as a common concern.
• China had hosted these leaders at its summit, which Beijing had swiftly organised after India's announcement.

1. To hold a leader's summit every two years;
2. Regular meetings among their foreign and trade ministers
3. A joint working group on Afghanistan
4. Joint counter-terrorism exercises between India and Interesting Central Asian Countries and 
5. Group to operationalise the use of Chabahar port by all five countries.

7. Importance 

• China has a direct border with the region, has a bilateral trade of $ 50 billion with Central Asia and has made major investments in these countries with its Belt and Road Initiative.
• India's trade with the region is a paltry $2 billion. 
• The lack of overland transport access with Pakistan blocking the way is a major challenge to India's Central Asia Plans.
• India wants to integrate the INSTC with Chabahar port in Iran to access the resource-rich region.
• The NSAs, generally focusing on security issues, discussed these connectivity corridors at the meeting.
• From the security perspective, the NSAs discussed the challenges of extremism, terrorism and radicalisation in the region.
• Central Asia is seen as the northern boundary of the Islamic world and with the Taliban's return to Afghanistan, the threat of radicalism and possible regrouping of the Islamic State poses a serious security challenge for the countries in the region.
• NSA Doval said financing is the "lifeblood" of terrorism and countering it should be a priority.
• India does not want the post-Soviet space to be captured by the Chinese and the NSA's engagement is a key mechanism in Delhi's toolkit.

For Prelims & Mains