Tashkent: India’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Smita Pant, held a high-profile meeting with Indian pharmaceutical enterprises in October, spotlighting opportunities for joint ventures, investments, growth, regulatory alignment, and collaboration in traditional medicines. The discussions aimed to enhance bilateral trade in healthcare and deepen India-Uzbekistan ties in life sciences.

“Ambassador Smita Pant met Indian pharma enterprises in Uzbekistan. She appreciated the positive impact of the Indian pharmaceutical sector in the country. Discussions covered joint ventures, investments, growth prospects, registration, and cooperation in traditional medicines,” the Indian Embassy in Uzbekistan posted on X in October.

On October 6, Pant engaged with Abdulla Azizov, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Industry Agency of Uzbekistan, to deliberate on strategic cooperation. Both sides emphasised creating a business-friendly environment, fostering R&D partnerships, and facilitating smoother market access for Indian companies.

Ambassador Pant also highlighted India’s expertise in traditional medicine, including Ayurveda and Unani systems, encouraging collaboration to make these healthcare solutions more accessible in Uzbekistan.

Earlier, on September 30, India and Uzbekistan convened the ninth meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism in Tashkent, focusing on intelligence sharing, capacity building, and best practices for regional security.

In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, calling the partnership “dynamic” and emphasising cultural, economic, and people-to-people ties.

India was among the first nations to recognise Uzbekistan’s sovereignty. Diplomatic ties were formalised in 1992, and the two countries elevated relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2011, backed by regular institutionalised dialogues at political and official levels.