Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov arrives in New Delhi for four-day visit
New Delhi, August 3
Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov has arrived in New Delhi for a high-level official visit to India spanning from August 2 to 5, 2026.
Welcoming Saidov, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote in a post on X, "A very warm welcome to Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov @FM_Saidov of Uzbekistan on his arrival in New Delhi for an official visit."
The Uzbek Foreign Minister's itinerary features crucial diplomatic engagements and economic discussions aimed at further cementing the strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan.
According to the MEA, the core of the visit begins today with a call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later this morning, Saidov is slated to participate in a special Business Forum in the capital.
Concluding the day's major political talks, he will hold an official bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, at Hyderabad House.
The itinerary features dedicated programming across New Delhi on Tuesday, August 4, ahead of the Minister's scheduled departure from the capital on Wednesday, August 5.
The four-day visit builds on a series of recent high-level exchanges between New Delhi and Tashkent, designed to deepen cooperation across trade, investment, energy, and security.
According to MEA, the protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Uzbekistan was signed in Tashkent on 18 March 1992. India and Uzbekistan declared their Strategic Partnership in 2011.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev last met briefly in September, 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.
India is among the top 10 trade partners of Uzbekistan with bilateral trade USD 756.60 million (as per Uzbek statistics-2023), which is well below potential.
The major items of India's exports are pharmaceutical products, mechanical equipment, vehicle parts, services, frozen buffalo meat, optical instruments and equipment and mobile phones. India's import from Uzbekistan consists largely of fruit and vegetable products, services, fertilizers, juice products and extracts, and lubricants, according to MEA.
India and Uzbekistan signed Bilateral Market Access protocol in the context of Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization on 27 May 2026.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The business forum is a great initiative. Our pharma and tech exports have a lot to offer, and Uzbekistan's markets are growing. But $756 million bilateral trade is way too low for two strategic partners. Need more flights and better banking channels to boost commerce.
Interesting to see the SCO connection here. Modi and Mirziyoyev meeting in Tianjin last year shows the multilateral platform is useful for bilateral progress. Hope the security cooperation gets as much attention as trade.
Nice to see MEA posting such warm welcomes on X. But honestly, we need more substance than symbolism. The trade numbers are disappointing. India should push for more value-added imports from Uzbekistan beyond fruits and fertilizers, maybe in IT and education sectors.
Chai time for diplomacy! ☕ Hyderabad House meetings have become iconic. Uzbekistan is a friendly nation, no doubt. But let's see if this visit results in concrete investment commitments, especially in the Chabahar port connectivity and INSTC framework. That would be a game changer.
It's promising that India is investing in these relationships. Central Asia matters for energy security and regional stability. Let's hope the "strategic partnership" language translates into real economic and people-to-people exchanges.
Visit hai, baat hai, lekin action kahan hai? 🧐 Since 2011, we've had a strategic partnership, yet trade remains below $1 billion. Meanwhile, China's trade with Uzbekistan is in tens of billions. India needs to move faster
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.