Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with Uzbekistan’s highest state award, the Order of “Oliy Darajali Dustlik”, during his visit to Tashkent. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented the award to Modi in recognition of his efforts to strengthen and deepen relations between India and Uzbekistan.
The honour is the 36th international award received by the Indian prime minister. While accepting the award, Modi said he was proud to receive Uzbekistan’s highest honour and dedicated it to the long-standing friendship between the two countries.
He highlighted the meaning of the word “Dostlik”, which translates to “friendship”, saying it reflects the close relationship between India and Uzbekistan.
Modi also pointed out its similarity with the Hindi word “Dost”, which means friend. He said the award should not be viewed as a personal recognition but as an honour for the 1.4 billion people of India. The prime minister expressed his gratitude to the people and government of Uzbekistan and thanked his “friend” Mirziyoyev for the award.
May the India-Uzbekistan friendship flourish!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2026
May our bilateral partnership progress across sectors and may our people be prosperous.@president_uz https://t.co/UTGB8xJ2zm pic.twitter.com/grVQiJcS4w
Mirziyoyev Praises India’s Rapid Growth
During delegation-level discussions, President Mirziyoyev praised India's economic and technological development under Modi's leadership. The Uzbek president highlighted India's strong economic growth and its progress in implementing major development projects.
He particularly praised India's achievements in digitalisation, information technology, artificial intelligence and space exploration. Mirziyoyev also noted that India's role and influence in global affairs had grown significantly. He described Uzbekistan as a close friend of India and said his country welcomed India's increasing achievements and stronger international position. The two leaders also discussed ways to expand their economic and strategic partnership.
India and Uzbekistan Plan Long-Term Uranium Supply
Energy cooperation emerged as another important area of the discussions. Prime Minister Modi said India and Uzbekistan would work towards establishing a long-term arrangement for uranium supplies from Uzbekistan to India. The proposed arrangement is expected to add an important energy dimension to the expanding relationship between the two countries.
Both nations are also formalising three sister-city and sister-state partnerships. Modi said the two sides should develop a clear roadmap to make the most of these arrangements. Such partnerships could help expand cooperation between regional and local governments in areas such as trade, development and cultural exchanges.
Foreign Ministers to Lead New Coordination Council
Modi said his discussions with Mirziyoyev, including their dinner meeting on the previous evening, resulted in several important decisions. Officials from both countries have also agreed on the way forward to implement these decisions.
A major institutional change will be the creation of a Coordination Council at the foreign minister level. The council will help guide and coordinate cooperation across different areas of the bilateral relationship.
The mechanism is expected to provide stronger political direction to India-Uzbekistan ties and improve coordination between the two governments.
Focus on Economic Projects and Business Cooperation
Modi also referred to a book authored by President Mirziyoyev that outlines various projects designed to expand economic cooperation between India and Uzbekistan. The book includes projects covering important sectors and provides timelines for their implementation.
The Indian prime minister welcomed the initiative and expressed confidence that both countries could achieve faster progress by working closely together.
The discussions in Tashkent underline India's growing engagement with Central Asia, with India and Uzbekistan seeking to expand cooperation in energy, technology, infrastructure, trade and strategic sectors.