PM Modi visits Uzbekistan for bilateral talks and Bishkek for the 26th SCO Summit

Gist Prime Minister Narendra Modi is undertaking a strategic visit to Uzbekistan for bilateral talks and the Kyrgyz Republic for the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO Summit . The visit underscores India's deepening diplomatic thrust into its "extended neighbourhood" to secure vital energy resources, build alternative transit corridors bypassing Pakistan, and counterbalance China's expanding footprint. For civil-services aspirants, this development highlights the critical intersection of India's energy security, regional connectivity strategies, and Great Power competition in the Eurasian landmass. Background Central Asia comprises five post-Soviet landlocked republics— Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan —and is historically considered Russia's strategic and demographic backyard. India formalized its diplomatic outreach to the region through the "Connect Central Asia" policy in 2012 . This engagement received a major political upgrade in July 2015 , when PM Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit all five nations in a single continuous trip. India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO as a full member in 2017 , gaining a permanent multilateral platform to engage these nations on security, counter-terrorism, and regional trade.…