Ready to take ties to next level: India to 5 Central Asian countries

India on Sunday conveyed to the five Central Asian countries that it is ready to take its cooperation with them to the "next level" and that it will be a "steadfast partner" in their developmental journey.

The message was delivered by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the third India-Central Asia dialogue that was attended by his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

With the top leadership of the five countries expected to attend the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, Turkmenistan's foreign minister Rashid Meredov described the dialogue as the preparation for the "upcoming Central Asia-India Summit in January".

India has reached out to all the top leaders of the five countries to grace the Republic Day celebrations, a move that comes in the backdrop of New Delhi's rapidly expanding ties with the region.

"We are very pleased at the state of our bilateral relations. But we know that the potential is very much more. Each one of us today faces the test of rebuilding our economy," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.

"Our pursuit of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) must also be energised. But together we can do this better and India, I assure you, will be your steadfast partner," he said.

The external affairs minister talked about the rapidly changing global, economic and political situation and underlined the need for both sides to further expand cooperation in diverse areas.

"We already have a good history of cooperation. But my message to you today is a readiness to take it to the next level. Our ties must now focus around 4 Cs: Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts," he said.

Kazakh foreign minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi talked about the shared priorities and commitment to elevate the two-way partnership to a new level.

He said the strategic partnership between Central Asia and India is dynamically growing, covering new areas of cooperation.

The foreign minister welcomed India's active role and growing interest in Central Asia, saying it has huge potential for the region's development.

In his remarks, Kyrgyz foreign minister Ruslan Kazakbaev referred to India's good relations with the region describing it as a strategic partner for all Central Asian states.

Tajik foreign minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin said his country considers the India-Central Asia dialogue as key to the development and strengthening of mutually beneficial partnership.

He said the growing trend of regional integration of Central Asia creates new opportunities for expanding cooperation between the region and India. Also, India is one of the fastest-growing economies with a powerful industrial base and considerable science and tech potential, he noted.

Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said the dialogue has emerged as an effective tool for promoting inter-regional cooperation between Central and South Asia.

In the last few years, India has been focusing on expanding overall cooperation with the energy-rich Central Asian countries, considering them to be part of its extended neighbourhood.

The upswing in India's engagement with the region followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's whirlwind tour of the five countries in July 2015 that resulted in the expansion of two-way ties in a range of areas.

The recent developments in Afghanistan reinforced the importance of the Central Asian countries with three of them -- Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- sharing borders with the war-torn nation.

The national security advisors of all the five Central Asian countries attended an India-hosted regional dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10. NSAs of Russia and Iran also participated in it.

The second meeting of the India-Central Asia dialogue was organised by India in October last year in digital video-conference format.