India's Strategic Footprint in Central Asia: Part II

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on India’s strategic engagement in Central Asia. Part one examined ties with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Part two examines ties with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Two decades of Indian engagement with Central Asia have produced relationships that are now poised to move beyond the energy and transit sectors toward more-diversified commercial investments. However, this evolution takes place against the backdrop of  NATO’s imminent withdrawal from the region, at a time when India still sees national armies as the most sustainable institutions in Central Asia. In this context, Indian Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh’s recent visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signals the maturing of India’s ties with the two largest Central Asian republics. Deeper strategic cooperation with Astana and Tashkent will not only help New Delhi secure its economic engagement with both countries, but also increase its own geopolitical space more broadly. ...