India was connected with Central Asia through the Silk Route. India also shares old and deep cultural ties with the region.
What is the strategic importance of Central Asia?
- Central Asia is extremely rich in mineral and natural resources. For example, Kazakhstan has one of the biggest reserves of uranium, the Kyryz Republic is rich in hydro-power while Turkmenistan has one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas.
India’s engagement with the Central Asian countries is important because of – a) security cooperation after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, b) to counter China’s influence in the region, c) plans for connectivity with Europe including the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), d) to meet its energy needs (Turkmenistan is part of the proposed TAPI gas pipeline), and e) for old cultural links and trade potential.
What are the challenges with the relations between India and Central Asia?
- China – China has a direct border with the Central Asian countries and has a bilateral trade of $50 billion whereas India’s trade with the region is only $2 billion. China has also made major investments in these countries with its Belt and Road Initiative.
- Lack of access to land transport – India lacks land transport access with Central Asia due to the blockage by Pakistan. To overcome the issue, India wants to integrate the INSTC with Chabahar port in Iran to access the resource-rich region.
- Security – There are also security challenges such as extremism, terrorism, and radicalisation in the region. Central Asia shares a boundary with Afghanistan and the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan poses a serious security challenge for the countries in the region.
What interventions were made by India in Central Asia?
- India formulated its Connect Central Asia Policy which is a broad-based approach including political, security, economic, and cultural connections
- New Delhi signed the Strategic Partnership Agreements(SPA) with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to stimulate defence cooperation and deepen trade relations.
- India has supported efforts for a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
- The government has also proposed to include the strategic Chabahar Port in the International North-South Transport Corridor(INSTC).
- The government has also proposed to include the strategic Chabahar Port in the International North-South Transport Corridor(INSTC).
- India signed MoUs with Iran in 2015 to develop the Chabahar portin the Sistan-Baluchistan province to diversify the export markets and control China’s ambitions.
