Tashkent [Uzbekistan], August 30 (ANI): Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sunday hailed the trade and cultural ties between India and the Central Asian country, calling New Delhi a 'reliable strategic partner.'

During delegation-level talks with PM Narendra Modi in Tashkent, Mirziyoyev lauded India's growth in digital, technological and space sectors. He noted that India has grown in all major sectors under the leadership of PM Modi and has become an influential voice in global affairs.

The Uzbekistan President said, 'Your Excellency, Mr Modi, I believe that under your leadership, India is achieving remarkable results across all sectors, maintaining high rates of economic growth and implementing major projects. India is making truly outstanding advances in digitalisation, information technology, artificial intelligence, space exploration, and many other fields. New Delhi's voice and influence in global affairs have grown even stronger. As your close friends, we are, of course, very pleased to see all these achievements.'

Further, he cited Lal Bahadur Shastri Centre for Indian Culture and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Indian Studies and invoked Yoga to highlight the cultural ties between the two nations.

He said, 'India is our reliable strategic partner. Last year, our bilateral trade exceeded one billion dollars for the first time. In recent years, the number of joint ventures has increased sevenfold. There are now 14 direct flights between our countries every week. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Centre for Indian Culture and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Indian Studies play an important role in strengthening our humanitarian ties.'

'As I have already mentioned, the philosophy and practice of yoga are becoming increasingly popular in our country. A dedicated Yoga Federation has been operating since 2018, and a nationwide yoga festival was held across Uzbekistan this June. The introduction of a 30-day visa-free regime for Indian citizens will make a significant contribution to the development of people-to-people contact, tourism, and business exchanges,' the President added.

During his visit, PM Modi attended a yoga programme organised by the 'Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan' in Tashkent.

PM Modi held delegation-level talks with Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev in Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent.

Along with the Prime Minister, the delegation talks were attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs of India, Sibi George, and other senior diplomats from both countries.

The two leaders reviewed cooperation in trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education, and people-to-people domains and set the agenda for the road ahead.

Uzbekistan marks the first leg of PM Modi's two-nation visit. From Tashkent, at the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, PM Modi will travel to Bishkek to participate in the 26th SCO Summit, marking 25 years of this important organisation. (ANI)