NEW DELHI: India held its first summit with five Central Asian states on Thursday to develop regional security cooperation and address joint concerns over the situation in Afghanistan.
Held virtually, Thursday's summit hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw in attendance the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
"Our aim and concerns for regional security are the same. We are all worried about the happenings in Afghanistan. In this context our cooperation for regional security and peace are all the more important," Modi said in his opening remarks.
Like India, three of the Central Asian republics — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan — also border Afghanistan.
Modi, who is the first Indian leader to visit all five Central Asian countries, said they are key to India’s vision of "an integrated and stable extended neighborhood."
"We have to prepare an ambitious roadmap for our cooperation through which in the next three years regional connectivity cooperation will be able to adopt an integrated approach," he said.
As other global powers look to cement their grip on the region following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Indian government has been largely sidelined, while other players such as Pakistan and China have been increasingly involved in Afghan politics on both the domestic and international level.
Foreign policy experts see the summit as “significant” in view of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan.
"The Central Asian countries' importance has increased very significantly as a result of what has happened in Afghanistan," India's former ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ashok Sajjanhar, told Arab News.
"After the departure of the NATO and American troops it’s the regional countries responsibility to maintain peace and security in Afghanistan," he said, adding that India and the Central Asian republics are "on the same page and want an inclusive government in Afghanistan, respect for rights of minorities, and women and children."
Anil Trigunayat, former Indian ambassador to Russia, said the summit provides "excellent reconnect for the sharing of ideas and concerns and a future roadmap with our extended neighborhood."
"The developments in Afghanistan are mutual interests for New Delhi and the Central Asian republics."
Thursday's summit follows a lower-level security meeting on Afghanistan that New Delhi hosted in November, where besides officials from the five post-Soviet republics, representatives from Russia and Iran were also present.
