Tashkent, Aug 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that India and Uzbekistan will work together to preserve Uzbekistan's Buddhist heritage sites. He also announced scholarships for promoting the Hindi language in Uzbekistan.

In the joint press meet with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev following their talks in Tashkent on Sunday, PM Modi stated that close defence and security cooperation between India and Uzbekistan reflects deep mutual trust between the two nations.

"The deep roots of our relationship lie in our shared heritage. Today, we have placed special emphasis on strengthening them further. We will work together to preserve Uzbekistan's Buddhist heritage sites. Promoting exchanges between the youth of both nations, especially students and professionals, is a high priority for us, PM Modi said.

"An agreement on a 'Program of Cooperation' was reached today to boost tourism between the two countries. I am pleased to announce scholarships today to promote the Hindi language in Uzbekistan," he added.

PM Modi noted that the strengths of India and Uzbekistan in agriculture and health complement each other. He said both nations can contribute to the food security of both nations by combining the horticulture experience of Uzbekistan and modern agricultural practices of India.

He said, "Medicinal herbs from Uzbekistan and Ayurveda expertise from India are a natural combination. The agreement reached today on traditional medicine will strengthen our joint efforts. It is our endeavour that our partnership should not be limited to only two capitals. That is why we are going to establish partnerships between our cities and states."

PM Modi stated that 2026 marks the 15th anniversary of our strategic partnership and the two sides have decided to elevate the relationship to the status of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"The close defence and security cooperation between the two countries reflects our deep mutual trust. In the times ahead, we will foster direct linkages, co-production, and co-development between the defence industries of both nations. We believe that terrorism, extremism, and separatism are major challenges for the whole region. Zero tolerance against all three has been, and will continue to be, our shared resolve," he said.

PM Modi said that bilateral trade between the two nations has crossed $1 billion and aims to achieve $5 billion by 2030. He further said, "To achieve this, we will move forward in areas such as market access, connectivity, banking, and payments. In infrastructure development, we will work together to create win-win cooperation for both countries."

--IANS

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