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Meaning, Features, Significance for India Mrunal

[Diplomacy] Connect Central Asia Policy: Meaning, Features,
Significance for India
1. What is Central Asia?
2. Why is Central Asia important f or India?
3. Indias problem in Central Asia?
4. What has China done in Central Asia?
5. What is Connect Central Asia Policy?

What is Central Asia?

It is made up of f ive nations
Country

Capital

Kazakhstan

Astana

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

Tajikistan

Dushanbe

Turkmenistan

Ashgabat

Uzbekistan

Tashkent

Collectively theyre known as Central Asian Republics (CAR)

also known as the underbelly of Eurasia

Central Asia (Political)

Why is Central Asia important for India?

rich resource of hydrocarbons and minerals.
lies on the old silk route connecting China and South Asia to West Asia and Europe.
So we can setup f actories in CAR, we can directly launch our products in EU (decreasing the
transportation cost).

Indias problem in Central Asia?

Central Asia has huge reserves of hydrocarbon and Minerals.
But we are unable to get them because of Transportation problems
1. through Af ghanistan : problem region is unstable due to Talibans.
2. through Iran: problem- itll annoy Americans. (recall the Chabahar port article)
T he Turkmenistan-Af ghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan-India(IPI) pipelines
projects are not moving smoothly due to Pakistan and Af ghanistan.
T here are three key locations f rom which we can access the Central Asia
Chahabar and Bandar Abbas ports in Iran
Hajigak/Bamiyan in Af ghanistan
Bandar Anzali on the Caspian Sea.

What has China done in Central Asia?

China has already built roads, railways and pipelines across this resource-rich region.
Oil pipelines f rom the Caspian Sea across Kazakhstan
gas pipeline f rom Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan,
deep-sea port of Gwadar in Pakistan
China is exploiting the Siberian timber, Mongolian iron ore, Kazakh oil, Turkmen natural gas and
Af ghan copper through this transportation network.

What is Connect Central Asia Policy?

India has launched this Connect Central Asia Policy to
Tap the natural resources (oil,gas,iron-ore etc) of Central Asia.
Counter the hegemony (domination) of China in this region.
T his policy was f ormally declared at Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) by our Minister of State (External
Af f airs) in June 2012.
Under this policy, well do f ollowing things

Meet and Greet

1. Well build strong political relations with these nations via the exchange of high level visits. Example
T heir Presidents/ PMs coming to India and Mohan doing the reverse.
Inviting their Presidents as chief guests on our 26th Jan. parades.)
2. Mohan will continue to interact with Central Asian leaders, closely both in bilateral and multilateral
f ora. i.e SCO, Eurasian Economic Community (EEC), Custom Union, UN etc.

Fire and kill

3. Well strengthen our strategic and security cooperation with this countries.
4. Military training, joint research, counter-terrorism coordination and close consultations on
Af ghanistan.

Trade and Prosper

5. Proposed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
6. Kazakhstan, have almost limitless reserves of iron ore and coal, as well as abundant cheap
electricity. India can help set up several medium size steel rolling mills, producing its requirement of
specif ic products.
7. Right now, due to absence of a viable banking inf rastructure in the Central Asian region, we are
unable to do much trade and investment. So, Indian banks will be setting up branches here.
8. International North-South Transport Corridor (INST C)
It is a joint venture between Iran, India, Russia and Azerbaijan
It will connect India to Central Asia through Iran via rail, road and ship network.
International North-South Transport Corridor

International North-South Transport Corridor

(INST C)

Teach and Heal

9. Well help set up a Central Asian University in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) to impart world class education
in areas like IT, management, philosophy and languages.
10. Well set up a Central Asian e-network with its hub in India, to deliver, tele-education and telemedicine connectivity, linking all the f ive Central Asian States.
11. Well be setting up civil hospitals/clinics in Central Asia.

Fly and Film

12. Well improve air connectivity with those countries. (lolz perhaps via Air India!)
13. Central Asian countries could emerge as attractive holiday destinations f or tourists and even f or
the Indian f ilm industry which likes to depict exotic f oreign locales in its f ilms.
14. We will encourage regular exchanges of scholars, academics, civil society and youth delegations to
gain deeper insights into each others cultures.