Current Context: India hosted the Fourth India–Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi, where Foreign Ministers from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan met to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack and plan cooperation on critical minerals.

About India–Central Asia Dialogue:

• Security Cooperation:
  • Unified condemnation of terrorism; commitment to hold sponsors, organisers, and financiers accountable.
  • Emphasis on United Nations–led counter-terrorism frameworks and Financial Action Task Force standards.
• Mineral Exploration:
  • Joint interest in exploring rare earth and critical minerals to diversify away from existing global supply constraints.
  • Call for a Second India–Central Asia Rare Earth Forum and delegation exchanges.
• Regional Connectivity:
  • Promotion of the International North-South Transport Corridor for freight and passenger movement.
  • Interest in utilizing Iran’s Chabahar Port for Central Asian trade.
• People-to-People and Cultural Ties:
  • Recognition of millennia-old Silk Road linkages and shared cultural heritage.