New Delhi, 31 August (H.S.): BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Uzbekistan and the long-term uranium supply agreement signed between India and Uzbekistan as a historic achievement for the country. In a statement issued to the media, he said the agreement was not merely a diplomatic arrangement but a decisive step towards strengthening India’s energy security, advancing nuclear self-reliance and securing the country’s future energy requirements.

Trivedi said the entire country remembers Tashkent as the place where then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died under mysterious circumstances in 1966. He said that at the time, there was a perception that certain powers wanted to prevent India from becoming self-reliant in the field of nuclear energy.

He said that nearly six decades later, on the same soil of Tashkent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has signed a long-term uranium supply agreement with Uzbekistan. According to Trivedi, the agreement will ensure a steady supply of fuel for India’s nuclear power programme while also playing an important role in meeting the country’s growing energy requirements.

The BJP MP said the agreement demonstrated that India today is confidently advancing its national interests on the global stage. He said that at a place once associated with apprehensions over India’s nuclear ambitions, a historic agreement aimed at strengthening the country’s energy security has now been concluded.

Praising Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy, Trivedi said that under his leadership, India has taken its strategic partnerships with countries across the world to new heights.

He said the agreement was not limited to meeting India’s immediate requirements but would serve as a historic milestone in ensuring the country’s energy security over the coming decades and strengthening the resolve to build a self-reliant India.

Trivedi also said Prime Minister Modi’s visit was significant from both trade and cultural perspectives. He said an important decision had been taken during the visit to further strengthen India’s centuries-old cultural ties with Uzbekistan.

He said the Archaeological Survey of India has taken responsibility for the conservation of an ancient Buddhist monastery in the Termez region of Uzbekistan. In addition, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has established a Sanskrit chair at a university in Tashkent.

Trivedi said that from the conservation of the Prambanan Temple in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta province to the preservation of the Buddhist monastery in Termez, Uzbekistan, India is reviving its shared cultural heritage while further strengthening its historical and cultural ties with countries around the world.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar