International Relations

Module XIV

India – Central Asia

Geography
• Central Asian countries are landlocked.
• Most Central Asian States particularly Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
and Turkmenistan have converted the perceived
disadvantage of being landlocked into an asset by
constructing a web and network of roads, railways, highways,
oil and gas pipelines criss-crossing from East to West and
North to South to connect industrial and production hubs with
consumer markets.
• Last few years have seen highways and railroads traversing
from the East in China through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to
Europe, Russia, Iran and the Middle East.
• Similarly oil from Caspian Sea offshore facilities in Kazakhstan
and gas from Turkmenistan is being shipped by pipelines to
the western region of China.
Resources
• All Central Asian States are rich and well endowed potentially with mineral and hydroelectric
resources.

• Kazakhstan has the world’s second largest reserves and is the world’s largest producer of
uranium.

• It has almost all minerals on Mendeleev’s table including iron-ore, coal, oil, gas, gold, lead, zinc,
molybdenum etc. in commercially viable quantities.

• Uzbekistan has large reserves of gas, uranium and gold.

• Turkmenistan is endowed with world’s fourth largest reserves of natural gas.

• Tajikistan is blessed with huge hydroelectric potential.

• Kyrgyzstan is rich in gold and hydroelectric power.

Concerns in Central Asia
• Religious extremism, fundamentalism and terrorism pose
challenges to these societies and to regional stability.

• Issues like water security, borders, environmental degradation

and migration have become acute.

• Central Asian republics face serious threat from illegal drug trade
emanating from Afghanistan.

• Traditionally, Central Asia has been an arena of ‘Great Game’.

• The modern version is being played out even today. Russia,

China, US, Turkey, Iran, Europe, EU, Japan, Pakistan, India,
Afghanistan have substantial security and economic stakes in the
region.
Indian Interests
• Central Asia comprises our ”extended neighbourhood”, it
deserves much greater attention than it has received so
far.

• Withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan has

increased violence and turbulence in the country.

• Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

• It is necessary to evolve an inclusive regional solution for

ensuring peace in Afghanistan.

• For this, India and Central Asia need to collaborate with

other regional powers like Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan
as also with USA and EU.
Relations since 1991
• Even though India made a policy shift post-1991 to actively engage new
partners, the momentum was always broken and inconsistent.

• Off late India has enunciated a much focussed “Connect Central Asia Policy”.

• Primary reason for that policy drift is that India does not share physical borders
with any of the Central Asian states.

• This is a huge bottleneck in promoting and expanding economic, commercial,

energy, tourist links etc. with them.

• No direct route from India to these countries is available as Pakistan does not
permit goods, cargo or people to move through its territory to Afghanistan, let
alone to Central Asia beyond it.
India – Central Asia Connectivity
• Trade hence has been conducted with
Central Asia through China. This is both time
consuming and expensive.

• Alternatively cargo has to be sent to by sea to

Northern Europe from where it is transported
by rail and road through Russia.
Recent Measures for Trade & Connectivity
• Chabahar Port

• International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

• Becoming a member of Ashgabat Agreement

• India’s membership of Shanghai Cooperation

Organization (SCO) as also of the Eurasian Economic
Union (EEU).
Soft Power Driven Diplomacy
• India uses the instrumentality of soft power and its ready
acceptability in Central Asia to strengthen bilateral ties.

• There is immense interest in Indian classical dance, music,

Bollywood films, yoga, literature etc. in these countries.

• India regularly and frequently arranges cultural events in

these countries and also provides scholarships for study in
India.

• Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) is an

effective instrument under which young professionals of
these countries undergo training.
Recent Developments
• Most momentous is the bold and decisive move by PM
Modi to visit all five Central Asian States in 2015 on the
sidelines of Ufa BRICS meet.

• Decision at SCO Summit in Russia in 2015 to induct

India and Pakistan as new members of the
organisation.

• Commencement of construction of the Turkmenistan-

Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline.
India-Central Asia Summit
• India hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit in virtual format
in Jan 2022.

• Taking India-Central Asia relations to new heights - In a historic

decision, the leaders agreed to institutionalise the Summit
mechanism by deciding to hold it every 2 years.

• They also agreed on regular meetings of Foreign Ministers,

Trade Ministers and Culture Ministers.

• An India-Central Asia Secretariat in New Delhi would be set up

to support the new mechanism.

• Further cooperation in areas of trade and connectivity,

development cooperation, defence and security, cultural and
people to people contacts.
India-Central Asia Summit
• Round-Table on Energy and Connectivity.

• Joint Working Groups at senior official level on Afghanistan and use of

Chabahar Port.

• Showcasing of Buddhist exhibitions in Central Asian countries and

commissioning of an India-Central Asia dictionary of common words.

• Joint counter-terrorism exercises.

• Visit of 100 member youth delegation annually from Central Asian

countries to India and special courses for Central Asian diplomats.

• A comprehensive Joint Declaration was adopted by the leaders that

enumerates their common vision for an enduring and comprehensive
India-Central Asia partnership.
Chabahar Port Project
International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
Ashgabat Agreement
• It is a transit agreement established in year 2011.

• It establishes international transport and transit corridor between Central Asia and the
Persian Gulf countries.

• Its founding members are Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Oman.

• Kazakhstan had joined the grouping in 2015.

• Pakistan joined in 2016.

• India formally joined in 2018.

Ashgabat Agreement
Ashgabat Agreement
It will enable India to -

• Utilise this existing transport and transit corridor to

facilitate trade and commercial interaction and ties
with the Eurasian region.

• Synchronise India’s efforts to implement the

International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for
enhanced connectivity.

• It will provide India an opportunity for reorientation of

the freight traffic from the traditional sea route to land
transcontinental routes.
Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)
• It is an economic union of states located primarily in
Northern Eurasia.

• In 1994, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan

Nazarbayev, first suggested the idea of creating a
"Eurasian Union“.

• A treaty aiming for the establishment of the EAEU was

signed in May 2014 by the leaders
of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, and came into force on
1 January 2015.

• It was followed by Armenia's and Kyrgyzstan's accession to

the Eurasian Economic Union.
Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)
• The member states decided to seek a purely economic union,
having concerns about keeping their independence and
sovereignty intact.

• The Eurasian Economic Union has an integrated single market.

• The EAEU has introduced the free movement of goods, capital,

services and people and provides for common policies in
macroeconomic sphere, transport, industry and agriculture,
energy, foreign trade and investment, customs, technical
regulation, competition and anti-trust regulation.

• Provisions for a single currency and greater integration are

envisioned in future.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• The SCO originated from the "Shanghai Five," formed in 1996,
consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

• It was created to address concerns about extremist religious groups

and ethnic tensions following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

• Establishment: SCO was established in 2001, in Shanghai, adding

Uzbekistan as the 6th member.

• 10 Members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Uzbekistan, India & Pakistan (2017 Astana Summit), Iran & Belarus.

• Afghanistan and Mongolia hold Observer Status.

 Mains PYQ (2018)
Q. A number of outside powers have entrenched themselves in Central Asia, which is a
zone of interest to India. Discuss the implications, in this context, of India’s joining the
Ashgabat Agreement, 2018. [150 Words] [10 Marks].
 Mains PYQ (2021)
Q. Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for
India? [250 Words] [15 Marks]
 Mains PYQ (2023)
Q. ‘Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO’. In the light of the above
statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. [150 Words] [10 Marks]