At a time of changing global equations, India is deepening its relations with Eurasian actors. In particular, relations with regional and global actors such as Europe, Russia and Japan encourage India’s transformation into a global actor. India, which has become one of the major economic and demographic powers in the world today, wants to increase its gains by pursuing a policy of balance rather than taking sides in various conflicts. One of the latest examples of this is that in the conjuncture created by the Russia-Ukraine War, India attracted Western capital while receiving significant amounts of cheap energy from Russia.
Seeking to act with a global vision, India primarily wants to strengthen its relations with countries and actors in its immediate neighborhood. In addition to this idea, it can be said that regional equations and dynamics are effective in determining New Delhi’s policy. In particular, India, which has recently established contacts and held talks with the Taliban, is expanding the geographical area where it wants to deepen its relations.
In this context, Central Asia is one of the regions where India has recently intensified its relations. The relations between the Central Asian capitals and New Delhi are developing in a multidimensional framework. The most prominent topics in this process are economy, infrastructure, corridors and security.
It will be recalled that on December 19, 2021, the 3rd Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in New Delhi. During the talks attended by the foreign ministers of six states, it was expressed that the process of utilizing the 1 billion dollar fund received in 2020 for infrastructure should be accelerated.[1] Another important development following the meeting was the announcement that the Dushanbe-Chortut Highway Project, built by India in Tajikistan, will be completed in December 2022.[2]
This situation reveals that India wants to be an important alternative in terms of infrastructure. In this process, economic relations have also played a decisive role in the relations between the parties. In addition to enabling the parties to reach new markets, India will also be able to benefit from the energy resources of Central Asia through this route.
Undoubtedly, infrastructure is also linked to corridors. Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has made significant contributions to the infrastructure of the countries involved in this initiative. In this process, railways and highways are among the main areas where investments have been made. India is also participating in the construction of transportation routes. One of the objectives here is to ensure that the corridors to be realized are uninterrupted and utilized to their full potential. For this reason, New Delhi is also paying attention to various infrastructure works, especially transportation and transport, in order to implement the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). In particular, India needs to develop various projects and establish stable relations in Central Asia in order to reach Russia at the least cost and to use the INSTC to its full potential.
In addition to all these, security can be mentioned in the rapprochement process between countries. This is because the actors shaping the threat perceptions of these states are similar. Considering that states other than Turkmenistan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), it can be said that they are concerned about similar threat sources. In particular, Afghanistan is an important source of threat for both Central Asia and India.
Various terrorist organizations are present in the region, including the so-called Khorasan Emirate (ISKP) of the terrorist organization State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Therefore, Central Asia and India have adopted a common position against radicalism, terrorism and separatism. In this context, India is trying to strengthen its relations with Central Asian states in a security-centered manner, making statements and conducting various military exercises.
On December 6, 2022, New Delhi hosted an Afghanistan-centered security and counter-terrorism meeting attended by senior security officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan.[3] Ruchira Kamboj, then India’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), emphasized on December 20, 2022 at a meeting of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee on Central Asia that the region is a “key partner” in global counter-terrorism efforts.[4] This shows the importance India attaches to Central Asia in terms of security both regionally and globally.
On the other hand, India has been conducting various military exercises with Central Asian states. The most notable ones are the military exercises with Kazakhstan between December 15-27, 2022 and with Uzbekistan between February 20 and March 5, 2023.[5].[6] It can be argued that these exercises are India’s way of developing a mutual win-win relationship with the Central Asian states while seeking to make these relations multidimensional.
In conclusion, India is a growing actor in world politics and economy. In order to transform into a global power, its policies are seen to spread to wider areas, starting from the nearby geography. For this reason, Central Asia is in a critical position for India. In this process, factors such as economic gains, access to Russia, gaining new markets, gaining an advantageous position in geopolitical competition and security motivate India. In addition, India sees it as a necessity to strengthen its relations with its immediate neighborhood, especially with Central Asia, in order to maintain its steady growth. Thus, improved relations between the parties will contribute to the prosperity, development, stability and security of both Central Asia and South Asia.
[1] “Joint Statement of the 3rd Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue”, Ministry of External Affairs, https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/34705/Joint+Statement+of+the+3rd+meeting+of+the+IndiaCentral+Asia+Dialogue, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
[2] “India Becomes A Key Player in Central Asia Riding on Infra Projects”, ETInfra, https://infra.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/urban-infrastructure/india-becomes-a-key-player-in-central-asia-riding-on-infra-projects/96451374?redirect=1, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
[3] “India to Host Conclave of Top Security Officials of Central Asian Countries on December 6”, The Hindu, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-host-conclave-of-top-security-officials-of-central-asian-countries-on-december-6/article66228336.ece, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
[4] Shefali Kohli, “Central Asia “Key Partner” in Global Counter-terrorism Efforts: Ruchira Kamboj”, PTC News, https://www.ptcnews.tv/world-news/central-asia-key-partner-in-global-counter-terrorism-efforts-ruchira-kamboj-715131, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
[5] “Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Military Training Exercise Ends in Umroi”, The Meghalayan Bureau, https://themeghalayan.com/indo-kazakhstan-joint-military-training-exercise-ends-in-umroi/, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
[6] “India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Drill Starts in Hills”, The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/india-uzbekistan-joint-military-drill-starts-in-hills/articleshow/98075813.cms, (Date of Accession: 21.02.2023).
