India's ties with Central Asia can be traced back to the ancient Silk  Road, along which goods, people, and ideas flowed. Under the Modi  government, there is a renewed effort to reconnect India with the  region. During a recent summit, India expressed a need to boost its ties with  all five central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,  Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The five Presidents also decided to set up a  joint working group on Afghanistan.   PM Modi outlined 3 focus areas for India's relationship with the central  asian republics. Central Asia is central to India's vision of an  integrated and stable extended neighborhood and cooperation for regional  security and prosperity.  Second is to establish a framework of regular interactions, and third is  to create an ambitious roadmap for future cooperation.   China has aggressively wooed the CARs through its Belt and Road  Initiative to make their dream of a new and improved Silk Road a  reality. Chinese anxiety to consolidate its links with CARs and disallow  India from taking any initiative in the region is shown by its haste to  hold a summit with the leaders of Central Asian countries. On the other  hand trade between India and Central Asia lies at a insignificant $2  billion compared to Chinese trade with the CARs, which roughly amounts  to $100 billion. India could increase bilateral trade through energy  requirements. CARs are rich in resources such as oil, natural gas, and  uranium.   Giving us the insights on this complex geopolitical situation, we have  Rashmini Koparkar, an assistant professor at JNU and an avid follower of  central Asian politics. She is a student of International Relations,  especially those pertaining to Central Asia & Eurasia. She is also  passionate about Indian history, politics, and society.    In this episode, she speaks about topics such as the history of India  with central Asian republics, North-South corridor, the power of Russia,  USA, and China in the region, the role of Afghanistan in relations  going forward, and more.