Geostrategic significant Central Asian region forms a part of India’s extended neighborhood. Its geographical proximity, strategic location, and historical linkages Geostrategic significant Central Asian region forms a part of India’s extended neighborhood. Its make it an important partner for India. At the heart of Eurasia, the region is surrounded by Russia, West Asia, South Asia (Afghanistan) and China. Any geopolitical changes in the region may impact several states in the neighbourhood including India. Central Asian countries are also endowed with commercially viable quantities of most minerals like coal, oil, gas, uranium, gold, lead etc. Despite the immense significance of the region resulting in the Connect Central Asia Policy of 2012, India has not been able to strengthen its ties with the Central Asian countries due to following reasons:

• Poor connectivity: The key constraint that India faces is the lack of direct access to Central Asia. The adverse geographic terrain and the thorny India-Pakistan border dynamic, greatly impedes connectivity, thereby curbing greater economic cooperation between India and the region.
• Unrealised trade potential: India’s trade with the region amounts to US$ 2 billion, which is less than 0.5 percent of India’s total trade. Whereas the region’s trade with China amounts to US$ 100 billion. Besides the physical barriers, trade regulatory hindrances and political fragility
• Volatile security scenario: have created obstacles in the free flow of trade within the region. In addition to traditional security threats, instability in Afghanistan, hostility of Pakistan, concerns regarding confrontation between Iran and the United States, etc. diminishes reliability and safety required for trade and commerce, discouraging investments.
• Internal dynamics: Delineation of borders by the Soviet communist leadership overlooked many ethnic, tribal, linguistic, geographical, and even economic factors. Consequently, the postSoviet era saw problems of governance, extreme and worsening corruption, drug trafficking, regulation of movement across the borders and many inter-state disputes in this region.

Given the geostrategic and diplomatic significance of the region, it is important for India to deepen its relationship with countries in this region by:

• Connectivity network: India is part of the Ashgabat Agreement since 2018. In the right context this can be further extended by linking connectivity initiatives in this region in one network e.g the INSTC, TAPI, Lapis Lazuli corridor, and the Chabahar port.
• Deepening engagement: Building on the India-Central Asia Dialogue initiated in 2019, an India-Central Asia Forum Summit could be formulated on the lines of the India-Africa Forum Summit. It should also facilitate the setting up of the India-Central Asia Think Tank Forum to discuss and debate economics, history, politics, and business at the Track-2 level. It is in India’s interest to expeditiously finalise the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
• Scope for cooperation: Apart from annual exercises (like KAZIND with Kazakhstan), defence cooperation should be institutionalised through mechanisms like Joint Working Group on defence related activities. An India-Central Asia Defence Expo could be organised. Also, there scope for expansion in sectors like dairy, pharma, IT, entertainment etc.
• Capacity Building: India can strengthen its outreach in Central Asia by providing assistance in augmenting the social capital through programs like the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Central Asian regional dynamics will become very interesting with India’s involvement in the region in the coming years. Growing synergies between them will promote security, stability, economic growth and development of all countries.