Uzbekistan Announces 30-Day Visa-Free Travel for Indians During PM Modi’s Visit

Uzbekistan has announced a 30-day visa-free regime for Indian citizens during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the Central Asian country. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the decision is aimed at strengthening people-to-people contacts and boosting tourism and business exchanges between the two countries. The move comes as India-Uzbekistan relations continue to expand, with bilateral trade crossing $1 billion last year and 14 direct flights operating between the two countries every week. The two leaders also agreed to work towards increasing bilateral trade to more than $5 billion by 2030.

During the visit, Modi and Mirziyoyev held detailed discussions on trade, investment, innovation, digital public infrastructure, UPI, defence, healthcare and other areas of cooperation. Uzbekistan also conferred its highest honour for foreign leaders, the ‘Order of Oliy Darajali Do‘stlik’, on Prime Minister Modi for his contribution to strengthening India-Uzbekistan relations. Modi dedicated the honour to the people of India and described it as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two countries. He also paid floral tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at his memorial in Tashkent. Shastri had died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966, shortly after the signing of the Tashkent Declaration following the 1965 India-Pakistan war.