Bishkek, August 2026 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday to participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, marking the second leg of his two-nation visit to Central Asia. He was received at Manas International Airport by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev.
Modi’s visit is expected to focus not only on India’s engagement with the SCO but also on strengthening bilateral relations with Kyrgyzstan. Several bilateral meetings and engagements are scheduled during his stay in the Central Asian nation.
Ahead of his departure for the two-country tour of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Modi said India’s engagement with the SCO would remain focused on promoting regional security, connectivity and economic opportunities. He stressed the importance of building a region free from terrorism, separatism and extremism, which he said continue to pose threats to peace and stability.
“India has been an active and constructive member of the SCO since 2017. I look forward to advancing India's vision for the region, anchored in Security, Connectivity and Opportunity,” Modi said in his departure statement.
The Prime Minister said he also looked forward to meeting Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and other SCO leaders. He is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games, a major cultural and sporting event celebrating the traditional heritage of Central Asia.
Modi said the visit would help strengthen India’s strategic partnerships across Central Asia, deepen civilisational ties with the region and advance shared objectives of peace, stability and prosperity.
Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, is looking to use the Prime Minister’s visit to expand economic and investment cooperation with India. Kyrgyzstan’s Investment Minister Ravshanbek Sabirov said on Saturday that Modi’s visit represented a significant opportunity to take bilateral economic ties to a new level.
According to Sabirov, Kyrgyzstan hopes to attract greater Indian investment in areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, technology and agro-industry. He said the two countries have considerable potential to expand economic cooperation and strengthen investment links.
“We expect this visit to further strengthen the investment potential and economic cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and India,” Sabirov said. He added that bilateral trade between the two countries stood at around $91 million in 2024.
Modi arrived in Kyrgyzstan after concluding a productive state visit to Uzbekistan. He was seen off at the airport by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi’s visit had reaffirmed the deep and enduring ties between India and Uzbekistan and that his Kyrgyzstan visit would provide an opportunity to continue India’s constructive engagement with Central Asia.
During his Uzbekistan visit, Modi held extensive talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace. The discussions covered a broad range of areas, including trade and investment, critical minerals, defence and security, innovation and start-ups, digital public infrastructure and UPI, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, education, tourism, space and people-to-people relations.
The two countries also agreed to further deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Prime Minister’s Office described Modi’s meeting with Mirziyoyev as fruitful, noting that both sides agreed to expand cooperation in emerging and strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, energy, space, healthcare, trade and education.
A key outcome of the talks was the setting of an ambitious target of $5 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. The two leaders also agreed to organise a business summit aimed at expanding commercial ties and encouraging greater investment between the two countries.
India and Uzbekistan further agreed to establish a Foreign Ministers-led mechanism to advance their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also decided to elevate the existing Inter-Governmental Commission to the ministerial level, providing a stronger institutional framework for bilateral economic and strategic cooperation.
Critical minerals and energy security emerged as another important component of the discussions. Modi welcomed progress towards a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India and stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals.
The focus on critical minerals assumes importance as both countries seek to build resilient supply chains for resources essential to clean energy, advanced manufacturing and strategic technologies.
The Uzbekistan visit also highlighted the strong cultural and civilisational links between the two countries. Modi appreciated the growing popularity of yoga in Uzbekistan and attended a special yoga session organised by the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the passing of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Modi also announced the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Hindi language for Uzbek students, further underlining the importance India attaches to cultural and educational exchanges.
In Kyrgyzstan, Modi’s participation in the SCO Summit is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss regional security, connectivity, trade and emerging geopolitical challenges with leaders of member countries. His bilateral engagements are also likely to focus on expanding India-Kyrgyzstan cooperation in investment, technology, infrastructure and other sectors.
The visit comes as India seeks to deepen its presence and partnerships in Central Asia, with greater emphasis on connectivity, economic cooperation, security and civilisational ties.
