Tashkent (Uzbekistan): With an aim to strengthen military ties with Central Asia States, Army Chief General Manoj Pande who is on a four-day visit to Uzbekistan from April 15 – 18, 2024 inaugurated a high-tech IT Laboratory at the Uzbek Academy of Armed Forces.
This development marks a milestone in the defence cooperation between the two nations, following a commitment made during the Defence Ministers' meeting in September 2018.
It is pertinent to note here that both India and Uzbekistan are active members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO organization).
The request to establish an IT Lab was initially made during this high-level discussion, and the project gained momentum with approval in 2019, funded through the Ministry of External Affairs’ ‘c’ initiative.
Sources confirmed that the bids exceeded the envisaged budget of Rs 6.5 Crore. Therefore, Rs 8.5 Crore was allotted for the project. An Indian firm won the contract, made the lab fully operational well in time.
The IT Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including nine rooms which house two lecture halls, a cutting edge Cybersecurity Lab, a Hardware Programming Lab, an Object-Oriented Programming Lab, a Web Programming Lab, a Server Room, a Multimedia Room, and a Virtual Reality Room.
Additional facilities include video conferencing terminals, interactive panels, networking devices, and an assortment of computing equipment comprising large number of high end PCs, workstations and laptops, alongside essential peripherals like printers, cameras, scanners, and storage devices.
This collaborative initiative is not just a leap in technological advancement for Uzbekistan's defence academy but also a bridge reinforcing the expanding partnership between the two nations, promising a future of cooperation in defence and technology.
The establishment of the IT lab is expected to enrich the training resources available to Uzbek armed forces and foster a deeper understanding and cooperation between India and Uzbekistan in the years to come.
The highlight of General Pande’s visit will be the Ex Dustlik (April 15-28) which started between the two countries from Monday and is being organized in Termez, Uzbekistan.
On Thursday, the Army Chief himself will be present in Termez and will review the joint exercise of both the countries.
This is the fifth edition of the annual Ex Dustlik exercise between the two countries. This exercise takes place one year in India and one year in Uzbekistan.
The Central Asian states which many see as the backyard of the Russian Federation as Kremlin even after the fall of the Society Union consider the region as it's periphery has for the past few years facing new challenges.
Apart from that, Central Asia serves as a land bridge between Asia and Europe, and is very rich in natural resources.
For the last few years, especially after India’s Connect Central Asia (CAA) policy of 2012, the engagement between India and Central Asia has been rising.
