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S Jaishankar met Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in Baku to review bilateral priorities. Their talks underscored timely implementation of agreements and deeper strategic cooperation.
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Baku,Oct 24, 2026 15:02 IST
India and Uzbekistan discussed key bilateral issues and stressed the need to implement agreements reached by their leaders in a timely and effective manner, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Baku during a day-long visit to Azerbaijan on Friday. Jaishankar also reviewed India-Azerbaijan ties during meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
“Nice to see Uzbek @FM_Saidov at Baku,” Jaishankar said in a post on X, sharing a photograph with Saidov. He did not provide further details about the meeting.
“Discussed key issues on the bilateral agenda and emphasised the importance of the timely and effective implementation of agreements reached at the highest level,” Saidov said in a post on X.
Saidov arrived in Baku from Georgia on Friday after attending the first joint meeting of the foreign ministers of Georgia and five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Uzbekistan have held several high-level exchanges this year, according to PTI. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Uzbekistan in August, he was conferred the Oliy Darajali Do'stlik Order, the country's highest honour for foreign leaders.
During Modi's two-day visit, India and Uzbekistan upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and set a bilateral trade target of USD 5 billion.
The two countries also signed 11 agreements to strengthen cooperation in sectors including mining and tourism. They agreed to establish a framework for the long-term supply of uranium from Uzbekistan to India.
Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar visited the historic Ateshgah fire temple near Baku. In a post on X, he described it as a “symbol of the historical and cultural connect between our two peoples”.
The pentagonal, castle-like complex was largely built and used during the 17th and 18th centuries by Hindu and Sikh merchants from the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. Its walls carry inscriptions in Sanskrit and Gurmukhi, including Hindu invocations and a Sikh verse.
During his meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Jaishankar described the discussions as “very productive” and said they had helped chart a way forward for bilateral relations.
The two sides discussed expanding economic cooperation in trade, investment and energy, and agreed to coordinate more closely on connectivity. They also discussed air links, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
India and Azerbaijan are involved in the North-South Transport Corridor, a freight network spanning about 7,200 km and linking India with Iran, the Caspian region, Russia, Central Asia and Europe through multiple modes of transport. Jaishankar said closer coordination on the project was important in a globalised economy.
Jaishankar also thanked Azerbaijan for helping evacuate Indian nationals, particularly students, from Iran during the regional conflict earlier this year.
The meetings in Baku focused on strengthening India's ties with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan through the implementation of existing agreements and increased cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
With PTI Inputs
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