PM Modi Praises Uzbek Students for Warm Hindi Welcome Ahead of Uzbekistan Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised a group of young Uzbek students for their enthusiastic welcome in Hindi ahead of his visit to Uzbekistan. The Prime Minister said he was delighted by the students’ enthusiasm and particularly appreciated their fluent use of Hindi in a video welcoming him to Tashkent.

Sharing the video on X, Modi said the gesture from his young Uzbek friends was especially meaningful because they had expressed their welcome in Hindi. He described their presentation as a reflection of the warm cultural and people-to-people connections shared by India and Uzbekistan. The video features several students from Tashkent taking turns to welcome the Prime Minister. They spoke about their excitement over his arrival and highlighted their interest in Indian culture and the Hindi language. One student introduced himself as Samandar and said students in Tashkent were eagerly awaiting Modi’s arrival, adding that the Uzbek capital was looking forward to welcoming him.

Another student extended greetings to the Prime Minister and said Tashkent was waiting for the opportunity to host him. A third student spoke about learning Hindi and expressed admiration for Indian culture, while also saying that students were eager to welcome Modi to the city. The students also highlighted the close friendship between India and Uzbekistan, describing the bilateral relationship as special and expressing hope that the Prime Minister’s visit would further strengthen the bond between the two countries.

The warm video message comes as Modi begins a two-nation visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. His first destination is Tashkent, where he will undertake a two-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. During his meetings with Mirziyoyev, Modi is expected to discuss ways to further strengthen the India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership. Key areas of cooperation include trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence and energy, along with broader development priorities shared by the two countries.

Ahead of his departure, Modi said the strategic partnership between India and Uzbekistan had made significant progress in recent years. He expressed confidence that his discussions with the Uzbek leadership would help expand cooperation and advance the shared visions of Viksit Bharat and Yangi Uzbekistan.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. These engagements are expected to underline the longstanding historical and cultural links between India and Uzbekistan.

This will be Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. He previously travelled to the country in 2015 and later visited in 2016 and 2022 for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits. Bilateral ties have continued to develop, with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visiting India for a state visit in 2018 and attending the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in 2019.

After completing his engagements in Tashkent, Modi will travel to Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov. There, he will attend the 26th SCO Summit, which comes as the organisation marks 25 years. The enthusiastic Hindi welcome from Uzbek students adds a cultural dimension to Modi’s visit, highlighting how language, education and shared cultural interests continue to strengthen the relationship between the people of India and Uzbekistan.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.