International Relations (IR)

International Relations (IR)

India- Central Asia
Bilateral Relations
International Relations (IR)
India-Central Asia Relations
 An overview
Central
Asia
 An overview
Central Asia region comprises of the below five
former Soviet states:
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan
 An overview
Central Asia lies at the geographical centre of
Asia

Central Asia is bounded by Russia in north, by

Iran and Afghanistan in the south, Caspian sea in
the west, and by China and Mongolia in the east
 An overview
Covers an area of about 4 million sq.km
Has a sparse population of about 72 million
Multi ethnic region- Comprises of Kazakhs,
Uzbeks, Tatars, Iranians, Uyghurs, Turkmen,
Kyrgyz etc
 An overview
Multiple religions followed in Central Asia-
Islam, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity
etc
Central Asia is a region of diverse geography-
including mountains, high passes, deserts and
vast expanses of treeless, grassy steppes.
 An overview
Central
Asian
Steppes
 An overview
The region is rich in water resources.
Important rivers include Amu Darya, Syr Darya
etc
Agriculture is an important activity in the
region, which includes livestock rearing
Very rich in natural resources- Gold, Copper,
iron ore, lead, Zinc, lead, Oil/gas, Uranium etc
 An overview
Central
Asia-
Livestock
Rearing
 An overview
Brief overview of India-Central Asia ties:
Central Asian region is a confluence of various cultures
and Religions
India and Central Asia had historical ties-
Both nations were part of the ancient Silk route
Silk road served as economic link for trade in goods; it
also served as a cultural link for transmission of cultural
elements, religion and philosophy
 An overview
Ancient
Silk
Road
 An overview
Buddhism and Sanskrit were transmitted to
Central Asia from India
Shakas and Kushans came from Central Asia
and made India their home. Some central Asian
rulers embraced Hinduism
Building techniques, Pottery, Cavalry etc were
taken to India from Central Asia
 An overview
After breakup of Soviet Union in 1991, India
established individual relations with the
Central Asian Republics (CAR)
Sports, Music, Movies, literature etc –
elements of cultural interaction and people-to-
ties since Soviet period
 An overview
Kyrgyz
Horseback
Wrestling
 An overview
Buzkashi
 An overview
Central Asian region is considered to be a
part of India’s “Extended neighbourhood”
(Linking India with other regions which do not
necessarily share borders but share cultural,
civilisational or economic linkages)
 Opportunities
 Central Asia is rich in natural resources like
Water, Livestock resources, Oil/Gas, Gold, Silver
Uranium etc. India can obtain these natural
resources through economic engagement
 India has great scope for developing trade ties
with Central Asia. As of now, the bilateral trade
is a meager $2 billion while the region’s trade
volume with China is nearly $100 billion
 Opportunities
Central Asia has vast areas of land that India
can use for Agriculture. Indian Farmers,
agribusiness firms and food processing
industries can start their ventures in Central
Asia.
Commercial farming, Dairy Farming etc are
areas where India and CARs can cooperate.
 Opportunities
 Tourism- Both India and Central Asia are rich in
Cultural heritage sites. They also have beautiful
natural landscapes. There is great scope for Tourism
 Cultural interaction- Sports, Bollywood, Yoga,
Languages etc
 Education- Being a leader in Knowledge sector, India
can serve as an education destination for students
from Central Asia
 Opportunities
Soft Power- great tool for India to leverage with
respect to Central Asia
 Opportunities
Buddhist
site
in Termez,
Uzbekistan
 Opportunities
 Indian companies can invest in industrial and
infrastructure projects in Central Asia. This will greatly
benefit Central Asian economies. CARs can attract
large quantum of FDI from India
 India can assist Central Asia in strategic sectors such
as Civilian Nuclear energy, Space, Medicine etc
 Cooperation under INSTC and Ashgabat agreement.
Central Asian republics can provide India access to
Europe and beyond
 Opportunities
INSTC
 Opportunities
India can engage with the Eurasian Customs
Union (EACU) which is a customs union
comprising Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. It
consists of all the member states of the
Eurasian Economic Union
 Opportunities
Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)- economic
union of ex-soviet states- Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia
New Delhi has signed Strategic Partnership
Agreements (SPA) with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan for defence cooperation and
trade
 Opportunities
Anti-Terror Cooperation
India and Central Asia should work together
to Ensure peace in Afghanistan. Both India
and CARs support the settlement of the
Afghan conflict on the principle of Afghan-
led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled
peace process
 Opportunities
 Cooperation under Shanghai Co-operation
Organisation (SCO)
 India-Central Asia cooperation should actively
involve partners like Iran and Russia to achieve
common goals and interests in Asia
 India can use friendship with Central Asian
republics to counter China’s ‘String of Pearls’
strategy
 Irritants
 Economic engagement between India and CARs can
be ensured only with physical connectivity. But some
players like Pakistan are acting as roadblocks.
Pakistan has already blocked India’s route to
Afghanistan through Kashmir
 Pakistani and Chinese hostility towards India
 Belt and Road initiative (BRI) and Chinese plans to
encircle India can impede India-CARs connectivity
 Irritants
 Instability and Terrorism in Afghanistan can impede
development projects and connectivity between CARs
and India
 Central Asian republics themselves are faced with
problems like Islamic fundamentalism and Terrorism.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Islamic Jihad
Union, Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP),
Hizb ut-Tahrir are examples of Islamic fundamentalist
and extremist organisations in Central Asia
 Irritants
 The Central Asian extremists have nexus with Taliban,
Al-Qaeda and ISIS
 East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a militant
Uyghur separatist organization. ETIM has close links
with the Islamic extremist organisations in Central
Asia, as well as Al Qaeda. Its stated goals are to
establish an independent state called East
Turkestan replacing Xinjiang
 Irritants
Drug Trafficking- Central Asia is close to the
Golden Crescent region that is well known for
opium production and drug trafficking
 Irritants
China-Pakistan-Russia (CPR) axis in future
may disrupt India-CAR relations in future.
India should ensure that the CPR axis doesn’t
materialise
 Irritants
Lack of Democracy: With the collapse of the Soviet
Union, five countries gained independence. In
nearly all the new states, former Communist
Party officials retained power as local strongmen
Authoritarian rule and lack of democracy are some
among the reasons for growth of Religious
Fundamentalism and Extremism in Central Asia
 Irritants
None of the CARs could be considered
functional democracies in the early days of
independence, although in recent
years Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have made
further progress towards democracy
India has a challenge in helping Central Asia
move towards Democracy
 Central Asia- the Great Power game
Great Game- power struggle between
Russian empire and British empire for
influence over Afghanistan, Central Asia and
South Asia
Right from Soviet era, Central Asia was
politically under Russian Domination
 Central Asia- the Great Power game
 After the breakup of Soviet Union in 1991, USA
started to assert its presence in the region
 A stable and secure Central Asia is crucial for U.S
efforts to counter terrorism and ensure regional
stability. Central Asia borders Afghanistan,
which is affected by extremism and political
instability
 Central Asia- the Great Power game
 Being regional powers, China and Russia have a
great edge over USA in the region
 Central Asia is a crucial buffer zone for USA to
check Russian and Chinese dominance in the
larger Asian region, and their spheres of
influence towards Europe
 Right now, Central Asia is largely economically
dependent on China.
 Central Asia- the Great Power game
 Central Asia was a key region for U.S during Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan
 After several years of decreasing U.S. involvement in
the region, the Obama administration initiated the
C5+1 and launched the first U.S. strategy on Central
Asia in 2015. The C5+1 format is a platform for
dialogue and cooperation between the
five Central Asian nations and the U.S
 Central Asia- the Great Power game
With US exit from Afghanistan, Russia and
China will look to fill the void in the region
 Development Projects & Assistance
India’s development projects in Central Asian
Republics:
India has an Air base at Farkhor in Tajikistan,
that is jointly operated along with the Tajik Air
force. India also renovated the Ayni air base in
Tajikistan- also jointly operated by India and
Tajik Air force
 Development Projects & Assistance
Ayni
Air base,
Satellite
image
 Development Projects & Assistance
 Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI):
The pipeline is envisaged to transport natural gas from
the Galkynysh Gas
Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and
then to India. It runs for 1814 km. It is expected to transport
33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year

The TAPI has run into many delays in the past. Recently, it
faced the problem of land acquisition. Recently, the Taliban
has extended their support for the $10 billion TAPI project
 Development Projects & Assistance
TAPI
Pipeline
 Development Projects & Assistance
In the past, China has expressed its intent of
joining the ambitious TAPI (Turkmenistan,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) gas pipeline with
the tacit support of Islamabad.
TAPI project could give a major thrust to its Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI), which India has
vehemently opposed
 Development Projects & Assistance
In October 2020, India announced extending $ 1
billion line of credit for "priority" developmental
projects in central Asian countries

The line of credit will be used for priority developmental

projects in fields such as connectivity, energy, IT,
healthcare, education, agriculture etc.
 Development Projects & Assistance
India is also planning to setting Air corridors
for trade with Central Asian countries. The air
corridors - similar to what India established in
2018 with Afghanistan - would improve
connectivity and bilateral trade between India
and CARs
 India Central Asia Dialogue
India-Central Asia Dialogue is a ministerial-
level dialogue between India and the Central
Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The first India-Central Asia Dialogue was held

in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in 2019
 India Central Asia Dialogue
India-
Central
Asia
Dialogue
 India Central Asia Dialogue
It establishes a platform for strengthening
cooperation between India and the Central
Asian countries in political, security, economic
and commercial, development partnership,
humanitarian and cultural spheres.
 India Central Asia Dialogue
The second India-Central Asia Dialogue was held
virtually in October 2020 where the leaders
reviewed the relations between India and Central
Asian countries.

It also condemned terrorism while reaffirming to

fight it by destroying their networks and funding
channels
 India Central Asia Dialogue
They also underlined the need for every country
to ensure that its territory is not used to launch
terrorist attacks against other countries

The nations shared commonality of views on

various regional and international issues, and
common challenges of terrorism, extremism and
drug trafficking
 Connect Central Asia
‘Connect Central Asia’ policy is based on pro-
active political, economic and people-to-people
engagement with Central Asian countries, both
individually and collectively.

Formulated in 2012
 Way Forward
Central Asia offers unlimited opportunities as
well as daunting challenges for India. Being a
regional heavyweight and an aspiring
Superpower, India should take initiatives to
capitalize on the opportunities with the Central
Asian Republics(CARs) and realize common
goals and interests.
 Way Forward
Challenges posed by China, Pakistan as well as
other players should be deftly handled with
diplomacy along with development activities and
strengthening our security.

India should leverage its strategic partnership with

USA as well as its good old friend Russia to ensure
its presence in Central Asia
 Way Forward
Whether India will go the extra mile and take
up a challenging and pro-active role in Central
Asia, especially in the wake of US exit from
Afghanistan remains to be seen
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan
About India’s changing position India's shift in
position:
 India has also reopened its Embassy in Kabul
after nearly ten months of Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan, indicating the willingness to
increase engagement
 Pakistan now has a significant influence in
Afghanistan
 The Taliban are still not recognized by India.
India's Long-standing Position on Afghanistan
 India believes that any peace process must be
led, owned, and controlled by Afghans.
 Additionally, it must safeguard the progress
that has been made toward the establishment
of a democratic Islamic Republic in
Afghanistan.
 Women, minorities, and other vulnerable
groups' interests must be protected, and the
problem of violence in the country and its
surroundings must be effectively addressed.
Afghanistan’s Geo-Strategic Importance
 Location: Afghanistan is located at a
crossroads between South and Central Asia,
making it a key transit point for trade and
communication between these regions.
 Energy resources: Afghanistan has significant
deposits of natural resources, including
minerals.
 Energy resources: Afghanistan has significant
deposits of natural resources, including
minerals.
 Political instability: Afghanistan has a history of
political instability and has been the site of
numerous conflicts over the years
 Terrorism: Afghanistan has also been a breeding
ground for terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda
and the Taliban, which have carried out attacks
against the United States and other countries
 Great Game: Afghanistan has also been the
focus of the so-called "Great Game," a term
used to describe the competition for influence
and control in Central Asia between various
powers, including the British Empire and the
Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th
centuries
India- Afghanistan Relations
 India and Afghanistan have a shared cultural
and linguistic history, with many Afghans
tracing their ancestry back to India.
 British India: During the period of British rule
in India, Afghanistan was seen as a buffer
state between the British and Russian empires
 Post-9/11: After the 9/11 attacks, India
increased its engagement with Afghanistan,
including providing development aid and
training for Afghan security forces.
 Recent developments: In recent years, India
and Afghanistan have sought to strengthen
their economic and security ties
Infrastructure:
 Salma Dam hydroelectric project, the Zaranj-
Delaram road, and the AfghanistanIndia
Friendship Dam (formerly known as the Salma
Dam).
 Education: Scholarships to Afghan Students
and schools
 Capacity building: India has also provided
training and capacity building programs for
Afghan officials and civil society organizations in
a range of areas, including governance, security,
and economic development.
 Cultural exchange: India has also supported
cultural exchange programs between the two
countries, including the establishment of the
Afghanistan-India Cultural Center in Kabul and
the hosting of Afghan artists in India
Concerns
 Taliban's connections to Pakistan's ISI and the
latter's attempts to use the Haqqani network
to harm India's interests in Afghanistan.
 Pakistan’s aggressive efforts to undermine
India’s role in security in Afghanistan.
 Safe haven for terrorists: Jaish-e-Muhammad
(JeM) and Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT), which are
responsible for a variety of terrorist acts
against India, are also connected to the
Taliban
 Previous year questions- Mains
1. A number of outside powers have
entrenched themselves in Central Asia,
which is a zone of interest to India. Discuss
the implications, in this context, of India’s
joining the Ashgabat Agreement (2018)
 Practice questions
1. Critically analyse the opportunities and
challenges with respect to India-Central Asia
relations. 250 words
2. Discuss the role of India and CARs in
combating Terrorism and ensuring peace in
the region and extended neighbourhood.
200 words
 Practice questions
3. Discuss the role of Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) as a geostrategic
organisation in Eurasia. Highlight the
significance of Central Asian Republics(CAR)
with respect to SCO. 200 words