NEW DELHI | Jul 07, 2015: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Uzbekistan host, President Islam Karimov, discussed ways to implement an agreement on supply of uranium for Indian nuclear plants, besides strengthening cooperation in security and defence sectors.
Modi arrived in Uzbek capital Tashkent on Monday in the first leg of his six-nation, nine-day foreign visit.
He was greeted at the airport by Uzbek PM Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, who was his first interlocutor. Thereafter, Modi held a one-on-one discussion with Karimov, followed by a delegation-level meeting.
In a subsequent press conference, Modi said both leaders “discussed steps to implement the contract for supply of uranium from Uzbekistan signed earlier”.
Last year, Uzbek state-owned mining firm had agreed to supply 2,000 tonnes of uranium ore to India in a span of four years.
With connectivity on mind, India asked Uzbekistan to join the international north-south corridor that connects Indian and Iranian ports to transport corridors leading up to Central Asia and Russia.
On his part, Modi sought Tashkent’s support to join the Ashgabat agreement, for setting up a transit and transport corridor between Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Oman.
There are still no direct flights between the two countries, which was addressed in the joint statement.
On Afghanistan, both leaders “expressed support for a genuine Afghan-owned process for peaceful revival of the country”. They also expressed “their intention to strengthen coordination between the law enforcement agencies and special services of both countries.
Modi presented to Karimov a specially-commissioned reproduction of the Khamsa-i-Khusrau by Sufi poet Amir Khushro.
(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)