"India Renews Central Asia Engagement via Uzbekistan Visit and SCO Summit"
INSTC
7,200-km multi-modal corridor linking India to Central Asia and Europe via Iran.
SCO
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; Eurasian security-economic grouping; India joined as full member in 2017.
India's relationship with Central Asia is rooted in centuries of civilisational exchange. The five republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, emerged as independent states after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. India moved quickly to establish diplomatic ties, recognising the region's strategic and economic potential. However, a fundamental geographic constraint has always limited engagement. India has no direct land border with Central Asia. The natural overland route passes through Pakistan, which remains closed due to bilateral tensions. Afghanistan, the alternative land bridge, has remained unstable for decades.
To work around this constraint, India developed two key connectivity instruments. The Chabahar Port in Iran offers a sea-land route bypassing Pakistan entirely. The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometre multi-modal route combining sea, rail, and road transport, connects Indian ports to Iran, then northward through Azerbaijan and Russia into Central Asia and Europe. India is a founding member of the INSTC. Both instruments have underperformed due to US sanctions on Iran and broader West Asian instability. India also joined the Ashgabat Agreement in 2018, a transport and transit corridor linking Central Asia to the Persian Gulf through Iran and Oman, adding another layer to its connectivity architecture.
India's formal multilateral engagement deepened when it joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a full member in 2017. The SCO, which began as the "Shanghai Five" in 1996, has grown into a major Eurasian security and economic grouping. India's membership gave it a structured platform to engage Central Asian states, even as bilateral relations developed independently through the Connect Central Asia policy announced in 2012.
Central Asia's strategic importance for India rests on several pillars. First, the region is energy-rich. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan hold substantial hydrocarbon reserves. India's growing energy needs make these resources attractive, though the absence of direct connectivity limits trade. Second, the region is a buffer zone against the spread of extremism and terrorism. All five Central Asian states share India's concern about radicalisation emanating from Afghanistan and the export of extremist ideology. This shared security interest creates a natural basis for cooperation.
Third, Central Asia is a theatre of great-power competition. Russia's traditional dominance has weakened since its invasion of Ukraine. China has expanded its economic footprint aggressively through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), building infrastructure across the region. The United States, the European Union, Gulf states, Turkey, and Japan are all deepening engagement. …
India, is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transport corridor. This corridor will connect
What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India?
Critically analyse India's evolving diplomatic, economic and strategic relations with the Central Asian Republics (CARs) highlighting their increasing significance in regional and global geopolitics.
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.
Consider the following statements about the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
1.India is one of the founding members of the INSTC.
2.The corridor connects India to Central Asia and Europe via Iran.
3.The corridor is approximately 7,200 kilometres in length.
4.The INSTC passes through China before reaching Central Asia.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Connectivity Instrument — Key Transit Country
1.INSTC — Iran
2.Ashgabat Agreement — Pakistan
3.Chabahar Port — Iran
4.BIMSTEC connectivity corridor — Myanmar
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements about the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
1.The SCO originated as the 'Shanghai Five' in 1996.
2.India and Pakistan were admitted as full members of the SCO in the same year.
3.The SCO currently has 10 full members.
4.India's SCO membership was sponsored by China.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to India's engagement with Central Asia, consider the following statements:
1.India invited all five Central Asian heads of state as chief guests for Republic Day 2022.
2.The India-Central Asia Dialogue was created as a result of this initiative.
3.The event was held in-person as scheduled in January 2022.
4.Geographically, India and Tajikistan are separated only by the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Which of the following best explains why India developed Chabahar Port and joined the INSTC as its primary connectivity instruments for Central Asia?
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