India, Central Asia to hold summit once in two years, establish secretariat for coordination

Summit level meet once in two years, establishment of a secretariat for practical coordination, more ministerial level engagement will be among the key outcomes of the upcoming India-Central Asia summit that will take place on January 27.

The meet, which will happen virtually, will be the first such summit between India and the five Central Asian countries–Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as they set to increase engagement to a higher level. India and the Central Asian countries already have a foreign minister-level mechanism that has met two times on an annual basis so far, the last being in December 2021.

The “India-Central Asia Centre”, which is expected to be established in Delhi will act as the secretariat for the India-Central Asia Summit coordination, which henceforth becomes a permanent fixture as ties are taken to a higher level.

The suggestion for the establishment of such a secretariat was given by India and will provide an institutional framework for the development of relationships.