BAKU, Oct 2026 : India and Uzbekistan have discussed key issues on their bilateral agenda and emphasised the timely implementation of agreements reached at the highest level, following a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Jaishankar, who visited Azerbaijan on Friday for a day-long engagement, met President Ilham Aliyev and held discussions with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy, tourism and connectivity.
“Nice to see Uzbek @FM_Saidov at Baku,” Jaishankar said in a post on X, sharing a photograph with the Uzbek foreign minister. He did not disclose further details of their meeting.
Saidov, who arrived in Baku from Georgia on Friday, said the two ministers had discussed important issues concerning India-Uzbekistan relations and underlined the need for effective implementation of agreements reached at the highest level.
Earlier, Saidov had attended the first joint meeting of the foreign ministers of Georgia and five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership Gains Momentum
India and Uzbekistan have witnessed several high-level exchanges this year, strengthening their strategic partnership and expanding cooperation across key economic sectors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Uzbekistan’s highest honour for foreign leaders, the Oliy Darajali Do‘stlik Order, during his visit to the Central Asian country in August.
During Modi’s two-day visit, India and Uzbekistan elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and established an ambitious target of achieving USD 5 billion in bilateral trade.
The two countries also signed 11 agreements to expand cooperation in sectors including mining and tourism. They further agreed to establish a framework for the long-term supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India, highlighting the importance of energy cooperation in their bilateral relationship.
India-Azerbaijan Cooperation and Connectivity
During his engagements in Azerbaijan, Jaishankar described his discussions with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov as “very productive” and said they had helped chart a way forward for bilateral relations.
The two sides explored opportunities to expand economic cooperation, particularly in trade, investment and energy, while agreeing to coordinate more closely on connectivity initiatives.
India and Azerbaijan are both invested in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal freight network spanning approximately 7,200 kilometres. The corridor is designed to connect India with Iran, the Caspian region, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, offering an alternative route for trade and transport.
Jaishankar stressed the importance of closer coordination on the project in an increasingly globalised economy. Discussions also covered air connectivity, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The Indian minister thanked Azerbaijan for its assistance in evacuating Indian nationals, particularly students, from Iran during the regional conflict earlier this year.
Ateshgah Temple Highlights Historical Links
Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar visited the historic Ateshgah fire temple near Baku, describing it as a “symbol of the historical and cultural connect between our two peoples”.
The pentagonal, castle-like complex was largely built and used during the 17th and 18th centuries by Hindu and Sikh merchants from the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Its walls feature inscriptions in Sanskrit and Gurmukhi, including Hindu invocations and a Sikh verse.
The visit highlighted the longstanding cultural connections between India and Azerbaijan alongside ongoing diplomatic efforts to strengthen trade, strategic cooperation and regional connectivity.
