NEW DELHI: India is in touch with the five central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — to invite their top leaders for the Republic Day parade next year as chief guests.
The government is still awaiting confirmation from the invited leaders and a final announcement, if the proposal materialises, is expected to follow a meeting of the foreign ministers of these countries with their Indian counterpart
S Jaishankar later this month.
This may also be only the second time in recent times that the
Republic Day event sees several heads of state and government as chief guests. Leaders of all Asean countries had attended the parade in 2018.
India has been seeking stronger connectivity and trade ties with central Asia, a region China has heavily invested in, and is working closely with them under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Except for Turkmenistan, all other central Asian countries are full members of SCO. India's development of the Chabahar port in Iran is also aimed at bypassing Pakistan for access to central Asia, apart from Afghanistan. Three of these countries - Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - also share border with Afghanistan. India had invited all the five countries recently for the NSA-level conference on Afghanistan. Official sources admitted the pandemic situation will also be a factor in deciding whether or not the leaders are able to participate.