India and Uzbekistan discussed key issues on their bilateral agenda and stressed on the need for timely implementation of agreements reached at the highest level during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Azerbaijan’s Baku.
Jaishankar was in Azerbaijan on Friday (October 23, 2026) for a day-long visit to review bilateral ties. During Modi’s two-day visit, New Delhi and Tashkent upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and set a target of $5 billion in bilateral trade. Both countries are invested in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal freight network of about 7,200 km linking India with Iran, the Caspian region, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
Mr. He met President Ilham Aliyev and held talks with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on trade, investment, energy, tourism and connectivity. He also shared a photograph of him alongside the Foreign Minister but did not provide further details of the meeting. Saidov posted on X. . Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Uzbekistan’s highest honour for foreign leaders, the Oliy Darajali Do’stlik Order, during a visit to the country in August. During the meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Mr. The two sides discussed expanding economic cooperation, including trade, investment and energy, and agreed to coordinate more closely on connectivity. Mr.
“Nice to see Uzbek @FM_Saidov at Baku,” Mr. Jaishankar said in a post on X. “Discussed key issues on the bilateral agenda and emphasised the importance of the timely and effective implementation of agreements reached at the highest level,” Mr. Jaishankar described the discussions as “very productive” and said they had helped chart a way forward for bilateral ties. Jaishankar said closer coordination on the project was important in a globalised economy.
