3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue: Afghanistan Meet

Table of Contents

India-Central Asia Dialogue- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

India-Central Asia Dialogue- Context

Recently, the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India.

3^rd India-Central Asia Dialogue- Key Points

Background: 1st India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in Samarkand in January 2019 while the 2nd India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in the virtual format in October 2020.
- India-Central Asia Dialogue is held annually between India and Central Asian Countries since 2019. Fourth India Central Asia Dialogue is scheduled to be held in 2022.
About: the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held on 19 December 2021 between India and five Central Asian Countries.
- Chairmanship: India was the chair for the 3^rd India-Central Asia Dialogue 2021.
Participation: Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in the 3^rd India-Central Asia Dialogue meeting.
4th India- Central Asia Dialogue 2022: 4^th India-Central Asia Dialogue will be organized and chaired by Central Asian Countries in 2022.

Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan

India-Central Asia Dialogue- Afghanistan Meet

Afghanistan Meet: In the 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue, the participating countries discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region.
Peaceful Co-existence: India-Central Asia Dialogue countries reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan.
- Three central Asian countries — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan — share borders with Afghanistan.
Respecting Sovereignty: India-Central Asia Dialogue countries emphasized respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.
Aligned with UNSC Resolution: India and Central Asian countries reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021).
- UNSC Resolution 2593: It demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing terrorist acts, and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups
Concurred with Delhi Regional Security Dialogue Outcomes: There is a broad regional consensus on the following points related to Afghanistan-
- Formation of a truly representative and inclusive government,
- Combating terrorism and drug trafficking,
- Central role of the UN,
- Providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and
- Preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups.

The Editorial Analysis- Wrong Forum

NSA Meet on Afghanistan

3^rd India-Central Asia Dialogue- Key Outcomes

India- Central Asia Relations: Planned to host joint celebrations, marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and the Central Asian States in 2022.
Business cooperation: Ministers welcomed the outcomes of the 2nd meeting of the India-Central Asia Business Council (ICABC) held in October 2020.
- India-Central Asia Business Council (ICABC): a B-2-B body under the India-Central Asia Dialogue, to continue its efforts to promote business linkages, facilitate greater understanding of business regulations and incentivize mutual investments.
- They welcomed the proposal of the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Uzbekistan to host the 3rd meeting of ICABC in the first quarter of 2022.
Need to establish cooperation between specialized national institutions: including in the fields of finance, renewable energy, information, digital and other advanced technologies.
Global Climate Cooperation: They agreed on the implementation of commitments under the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement in line with equity, national circumstances and principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC).
Need for large-scale and long-term economic cooperation: between Central Asian countries and India in order to strengthen and expand interconnectivity.
- In this context, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan stressed the importance of the TAPI gas pipeline project.
Utilizing Transit Agreements: Ministers emphasized optimum usage of various transit agreements to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries. For example-
- International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
- Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor