Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in India for high-level talks

Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov has arrived in New Delhi for a four-day visit. He will meet President Droupadi Murmu and EAM S Jaishankar to discuss strengthening the India-Uzbekistan strategic partnership and boosting cooperation.

Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov has arrived in New Delhi for a high-level official visit to India spanning from August 2 to 5, 2026. Welcoming Saidov, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote in a post on X, "A very warm welcome to Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov @FM_Saidov of Uzbekistan on his arrival in New Delhi for an official visit."

Minister's Itinerary in New Delhi

The Uzbek Foreign Minister's itinerary features crucial diplomatic engagements and economic discussions aimed at further cementing the strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan. According to the MEA, the core of the visit begins today with a call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later this morning, Saidov is slated to participate in a special Business Forum in the capital. Concluding the day's major political talks, he will hold an official bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, at Hyderabad House.

The itinerary features dedicated programming across New Delhi on Tuesday, August 4, ahead of the Minister's scheduled departure from the capital on Wednesday, August 5.

Deepening Strategic Partnership

The four-day visit builds on a series of recent high-level exchanges between New Delhi and Tashkent, designed to deepen cooperation across trade, investment, energy, and security. According to MEA, the protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Uzbekistan was signed in Tashkent on 18 March 1992. India and Uzbekistan declared their Strategic Partnership in 2011. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev last met briefly in September, 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.

Trade and Economic Cooperation

India is among the top 10 trade partners of Uzbekistan with bilateral trade USD 756.60 million (as per Uzbek statistics-2023), which is well below potential. The major items of India's exports are pharmaceutical products, mechanical equipment, vehicle parts, services, frozen buffalo meat, optical instruments and equipment and mobile phones. India's import from Uzbekistan consists largely of fruit and vegetable products, services, fertilizers, juice products and extracts, and lubricants, according to MEA.

India and Uzbekistan signed Bilateral Market Access protocol in the context of Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization on 27 May 2026. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)