India-Uzbekistan Relations

Post-1991 period

Indo-Uzbek relations in the post-1991 period have been characterized by frequent exchange of high level visits. Some important visits are listed below:

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(a) MOS for External Affairs Shri R.L. Bhatia visited Uzbekistan in October, 1992. Documents signed included Agreement on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, Cultural Exchange Programme
for the years 1992-94 and an Agreement for Cooperation in the fields of sports, education and mass media.

(b) Prime Minister Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao paid an official visit to Uzbekistan in May 1993. Agreements were signed on trade and economic cooperation. An Indo-Uzbek Treaty on the Principles of Inter-state Relations and Cooperation was also signed during the visit. Prime Minister announced the setting up of an 'India Chair' at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent, opening of an Indian Cultural Centre
in Tashkent, donations of medicines and medical equipment worth Rs. 40 lakhs, a credit of US$ 10 millions for joint ventures, project exports and purchase of capital goods from India and donation of equipment for
receiving Doordarshan programmes for telecast on Uzbek Television.

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(c) President Karimov paid his first ceremonial visit to India in January 1994. He was awarded an honorary degree by JNU and met Indian businessmen. During the visit agreements were signed on cooperation in economic and cultural matters, telecommunications and postal matters, and establishment of Indian Cultural Centre at Tashkent. In addition, the instruments of ratification of the Indo-Uzbek treaty on Principles of Inter- State Relations and Cooperation were exchanged.

(d) Uzbek President Islam Karimov visited India from 1-3 May 2000, on his second state visit. Nine agreements, including the Joint Declaration on Principles of Relations between the two countries, an Extradition Treaty and an agreement for a Credit Line from India for US$ 10 million were signed.

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(e) President Karimov visited India from 4-6 April 2005. He was accompanied by the Uzbek First Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education and the and Minister of Defence besides Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the Senate of Uzbekistan.

During the visit, he had meetings with President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Raksha Mantri, EAM, Commerce & Industry Minister. Twelve agreements/MoUs were signed. Four of them at the governmental level which are for cooperation in i) military and military-technical areas, ii) education, iii) culture and sports and iv) small and private entrepreneurship. Eight MoUs were signed between Indian and Uzbek institutions and companies in IT, banking, tourism and education.

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(e) Other important visits in recent times include EAM - May 1999 and Nov. 2003, MOS(EA)- Sept. 2001, Uzbek Minister of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education – Jan. 2003, Uzbek FM- Feb. 2003, RM- Feb-March 2003, Uzbek Dy Defence Minister – April- May 2003, EAM – Nov 2003, MOS(EA) – Oct 2004, Uzbek FM – Oct. 2004 and MSO(C&I) – Jan 2005.

Commercial and Economic Relations:

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Trade relations between India and Uzbekistan are governed by the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation, signed in May 1993. It contains normal features of trade agreements, such as mutual MFN treatment, promotion of economic, industrial, scientific and technical cooperation, including in the field of training of personnel, active participation of small and medium sized enterprises in bilateral economic cooperation, and counter-trade, etc. India and Uzbekistan also signed an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation in1993 and yet another one for Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection in May 1999. The Inter-governmental Commission has met five times.

2. According to figures published by the State Committee on Statistics, Republic of Uzbekistan, imports from and Exports to India during 1996-2004 are given below:

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Year Imports from India
(In US$ million) Exports to India
(in US$ million) Total
(in US$ million)
1996 31.45 10.91 42.36
1997 29.70 11.29 50.99
1998 16.38 5.68 22.06
1999 25.92 12.91 38.83
2000 14.45 10.85 25.30
2001 15.9 17.5 33.40
2002 15.4 25.1 40.50
2003 18.2 90.4 108.60
2004 27.2 122.9 150.1
As per trade statistics, pharmaceuticals have traditionally been the largest single item of Indian exports to Uzbekistan. Other items include tea, machinery, packaging material, plastic items, garments, knitwear, surgical items, consumer goods. Uzbekistan’s exports to India include supply of machinery and services (which reflect the remittances of Uzbek Airways from India of its revenue from both passenger and cargo services). Other items of Uzbek exports include cotton, raw silk, raw wool, non-ferrous metals, agricultural produce, aircraft etc. Government of India had extended three credit lines of US$ 10 million each to government of Uzbekistan out of which US$ 12.5 million were utilized out of first two credit lines and the third credit line was not utilized.

S&T Relations and Cooperation in other sectors: In terms of an Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation (1993) an Indo-Uzbek Centre for Promotion of Scientific and Technological cooperation was established in Tashkent in 1995. A work plan for S&T cooperation was signed in 1998 and again for the period 2004-06 was signed in March 2004. MoU for cooperation in field of agriculture cooperation signed
in 2000 under which a Work Plan for 2004 has been signed and has been extended upto 31st December 2005.

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Chairs in Universities in Uzbekistan: India Chair at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy at Tashkent since 1st October 1996. Major Indian projects undertaken and other ongoing Indian projects:
Computerization of three Uzbek Post Offices was undertaken and completed by Ministry of External Affairs/Telecommunications Consultants India Limited in May 2002. Total grant allocated for the project was US$75,000. An MoU on the establishment of an Indo-Uzbek IT Centre in Tashkent with GOI assistance was
signed in October 2004. It is under implementation.

ITEC Assistance and Programmes : Uzbekistan became an ITEC partner country in the year 1993, when a total of 49 Uzbek nominees attended various training courses in India. Since 1993, Uzbekistan’s ITEC participation has gone up tremendously. In 2002-2003, 104 and in 2003-2004, 109 candidates have availed of ITEC training. In 2004-05, 100 slots have been allocated, 120 approved by the Ministry, out of which 107 have already been availed till February 2005.

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IT Centre in Tashkent: An IT Centre with funding from Government of India is being set up in Tashkent. The implementing agency is C-DAC.

Other Indian training/assistance schemes: Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) allotted 31 slots under General Cultural Scholarship Scheme and Cultural Exchange Programme to Uzbekistan in 2003, out of
which 30 slots were utilized. A similar number of slots has been allotted to Uzbekistan for 2004.

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Details of Indian Credit Lines/ Official Assistance: Three credit lines of US$ 10 million each have been extended to Uzbekistan. The third credit line remained unutilized and closed in July 2004.

Cultural Troupers-Incoming & Outgoing over last few years: In 2003, under the Indo-Uzbek Cultural Exchange Programme, two exhibitions were organized in Tashkent – (a) An Exhibition of Indian musical instruments and (b) An Exhibition of Madhubani Paintings. Two Indian musical groups visited Tashkent and presented concerts. In return, two cultural Groups from Uzbekistan visited India. A festival of Indian Culture was organized in Tashkent in August-September 2004.

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Important streets, public places named after Indian leaders: There are streets named after Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent.