Modi to Visit Tashkent and Bishkek as India Reassesses SCO Role
· India · Indian Express, News18
Prime Minister Modi is set to travel to Tashkent for a bilateral meeting and to Bishkek for the SCO Summit, in what Indian Express describes as an opportunity to reassess India's Central Asia strategy and broader Eurasian outreach. The piece argues the SCO has grown more relevant for India, as it remains the only platform connecting Central Asia, South Asia, and Iran. The article notes recent improvements in India-China ties, including an eight-point consensus on the boundary issue reached after Modi's participation in last year's Tianjin summit. Past efforts to deepen engagement, such as the 2012 "Connect Central Asia" policy and Modi's 2015 tour of all five Central Asian republics, have yielded limited results due to tensions with Pakistan, instability in Afghanistan, and Iran sanctions, the report says. The upcoming visits could also feed into substantive discussions at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
Why it matters
India's recalibration within the SCO shapes its strategic leverage in Central Asia and its ability to balance China, Russia, and Iran in the region, with direct consequences for connectivity, energy partnerships, and security ties.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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