India's Central Asia Strategy: Navigating Geopolitical Shifts and Connectivity Challenges

• India views Central Asia as its extended neighborhood, sharing historical ties and strategic importance due to natural resources and its logistical hub status.
• Connectivity is crucial for India, with initiatives like INSTC, Chabahar Port, and the 'Connect Central Asia' policy gaining momentum, despite competitive corridor proposals.
• India's security concerns include energy security, terrorism (ISIS, Al Qaeda, LeT), drug trafficking, and the growing influence of adversarial regimes like China and Türkiye.
• Annual India-Central Asia Summits and NSA-level mechanisms address regional security, counter-terrorism, and emerging technological challenges.
• India seeks strategic autonomy and multi-alignment, balancing its ties with Russia while expanding cooperation with Central Asian nations across various sectors.

Why It Matters: India is proactively strengthening its engagement with Central Asia, focusing on connectivity, security, and economic cooperation.