First India-Central Asia Dialogue to be held in Uzbekistan

The first India-Central Asia Dialogue will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on January 12 and 13.

• The Dialogue will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov.
• The Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will participate in the event.
• The Foreign Minister of Afghanistan will participate in the dialogue as a special invitee for the session dedicated to connectivity issues in the region.

Objectives of the Dialogue:

• To enhance their cooperation in wide-ranging spheres including exploring ways to substantially enhance India's economic involvement in business and development sector of Central Asia.
• Developing viable connectivity options between India and Afghanistan and Central Asia to further facilitate trade and economic activity in the region.
• Strengthen India's engagement, including political, economic, development partnership and cultural, with all the Central Asian countries and take it to a new level.

Aim of the Dialogue:

• The first India-Central Asia Dialogue aims at taking forward the bilateral relations which have strengthened following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to all the five Central Asian nations- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan- in 2015 and the EAM's tour across the region in August 2018.

Question:

Q. Where will the first India-Central Asia Dialogue be held on January 12 and 13?
a. New Delhi, India
b. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
c. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
d. None of the above