India, Uzbekistan sign security cooperation agreement

New Delhi: India and the central Asian country of Uzbekistan on Wednesday inked an agreement on security cooperation including in the field of counter-terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking, during a meeting here.

The agreement was signed during a meeting between a delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Minister of Internal Affairs, Pulat Bobojonov, with an Indian delegation, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Bobojonov is on a bilateral visit to India from November 20-23.

The two sides discussed areas of mutual interest, including counter-terrorism cooperation and training for Uzbek security personnel in Indian institutions, capacity building, border guarding and disaster management.

Emphasizing on India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership, Amit Shah welcomed increased cooperation between India and Uzbekistan in the area of security cooperation, an official statement said.

Both sides affirmed that the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Uzbekistan in 2015 and 2016 and the visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to India in October 2018 and January 2019 have provided a new impetus to the bilateral relationship.

The Agreement on Security Cooperation, signed by the two ministers, will further strengthen cooperation between India-Uzbekistan in the diverse fields including counter-terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking.

The Indian delegation included Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai along with other senior officers from the Ministry, a statement said.