New Delhi: As New Delhi prepares to host the fourth edition of the India-Central Asia Dialogue on Friday, the platform has acquired renewed strategic relevance.
With the geopolitical churn in Eurasia – from the fallout of the Taliban’s return in Afghanistan to growing Chinese footprints under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – India’s engagement with the energy-rich, landlocked Central Asian region has become a critical pillar of its ‘Extended Neighbourhood’ policy.
The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will converge in New Delhi for Friday’s India-Central Asia Dialogue which will be preceded by the India-Central Asia Business Council meeting Thursday.
“India and Central Asia, in each other’s ‘Extended Neighbourhood’, enjoy close and cordial contemporary diplomatic relations underpinned by millennia old cultural and people-to-people exchanges,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release Wednesday.
It stated that, during Friday’s dialogue, the ministers will discuss further strengthening of relations between India and Central Asian countries with particular focus on trade, connectivity, technology, and development cooperation and also share perspectives on challenges to regional security and other regional and global issues of mutual interest.
“The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a manifestation of mutual interest on the part of India and the Central Asian countries to forge even closer, wider and stronger partnership in a spirit of friendship, trust and mutual understanding,” the Ministry further stated.
What is India’s Extended Neighbourhood Policy and how does Central Asia figure in this?
India’s ‘Extended Neighborhood’ policy expands its foreign policy focus beyond its immediate South Asian neighbours to include a broader range of regions. This includes areas like West Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific, emphasising economic, strategic, and security interests.
“In the ‘extended neighbourhood’, the strategic power play amongst the great powers has a significant, if unpredictable, impact on the regional dynamics,” former Indian diplomat Yogendra Kumar stated while delivering a lecture at Sikkim University way back in 2016.
He stated that the countries in India’s extended neighbourhood are also a source of technology, energy, beneficial economic and commercial cooperation as well as of mutually enriching cultural exchanges.
According to Roohul Amin Malik of the Centre for International Politics, School of International Studies, Central University of Gujarat, due to its growing energy demands and security threats, India is focusing on its Extended Neighbourhood Policy.
“Among these extended neighbours, Central Asia is one of the significant regions with which India wants to develop its engagements,” Malik wrote in a 2022 paper titled ‘India’s Extended Neighbourhood Policy: An Analysis of India’s Central Asia Policy’. “Besides, India is a growing economy and it has also the large growing population in the world. It needs energy and other natural resources to maintain its emerging power at the international level. The Central Asian Region (CAR) is considered to be the world’s one of the important regions boosted with mineral resources like natural gas, oil reserves, and uranium ore.”
He stated that the strategic location of this region is of much significance for India.
“Due to the growing terrorism, extremism, and the fear of spread of weapons of mass destruction, the Central Asian states are faced with the challenges of security and stability,” Malik wrote. “With enormous energy resources like hydrocarbon, oil, natural gas and other resources, India has vested its economic interests in the region. India itself feels security concerns due to the instability of Afghanistan and CAR. In order to restrict the spread of extremism in this region and to fulfil its energy demands, India wants to make its influence in the region.”
What is the background of the India-Central Asia Dialogue?
India historically shares deep cultural, economic, and civilisational ties with Central Asia, owing to ancient Silk Road linkages and shared religious and linguistic influences. However, for much of the post-Soviet period, India’s engagement remained modest due to geographical constraints, limited connectivity, and a stronger Russian and later Chinese presence.
The institutionalisation of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in 2019 marked a strategic shift in India’s outreach, especially under the framework of its Connect Central Asia Policy (2012). The Dialogue seeks to give concrete shape to this policy through structured diplomatic, economic, and cultural cooperation.
In 2015, a year after he first assumed the office of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited all the five Central Asian nations, the first such by an Indian leader.
And in 2019, the first India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. While addressing that gathering, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, referring to Modi’s 2015 trip to the region, had said that the visit “achieved important results bilaterally with each one of the five Central Asian countries but also set us thinking what we can do more together to substantially enhance economic engagement and development partnership between India and Central Asia”.
“We now want to build a modern and comprehensive partnership on these strong foundations,” Jaishankar had said.
Why does the Dialogue matter in terms of strategic and security cooperation?
Central Asia occupies a pivotal position at the crossroads of Eurasia, bordered by major powers such as Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan. The region is thus critical to India's strategic calculus.
With the resurgence of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, radical extremism and narcotics trafficking threaten regional security. India and Central Asian states share concerns about the spread of Islamist extremism.
India has been steadily expanding defence ties with several countries, particularly Tajikistan, where it operates the Ayni Air Base. The Dialogue provides a forum to coordinate security efforts.
Why does energy security figure in the Dialogue?
Central Asia is rich in oil, gas, and uranium – resources India needs to sustain its economic growth and energy transition. The Dialogue reinforces India’s energy diplomacy, especially through long-stalled initiatives like the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Additionally, Kazakhstan is a key supplier of uranium to India’s civilian nuclear energy programme.
Why does trade and economic engagement between India and Central Asia matter?
Despite historical connections, India’s trade with Central Asia remains underdeveloped, primarily due to lack of direct land access. Through the Dialogue, India is promoting the Chabahar Port in Iran as a gateway to Central Asia.
New Delhi is also supporting the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to reduce transit time and cost. Investment in infrastructure, IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and education are also on the agenda to diversify economic cooperation.
How does the Dialogue help in connectivity and infrastructure development?
India faces logistical challenges in accessing Central Asia due to its stand on not participating in China’s BRI and lack of contiguous borders. The Dialogue helps India counter Chinese dominance by promoting alternate connectivity routes and ensuring that these efforts are inclusive, transparent, and sustainable.
India has also proposed the use of digital connectivity and e-networks to expand its influence in health, education, and governance.
To sum up, the India-Central Asia Dialogue is not just a diplomatic formality but a strategic initiative rooted in shared interests and emerging regional dynamics. As India aspires to be a leading power in Eurasia, this Dialogue offers a platform to forge resilient partnerships, secure energy resources, counter security threats, and promote regional stability. In a multipolar world order, deeper India-Central Asia cooperation holds the potential to reshape connectivity, commerce, and security in the heart of Eurasia.
