Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the first-ever meeting of the India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format on Thursday. The virtual event will see the participation of Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This will be the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"The first India-Central Asia Summit is a reflection of India's growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India's "Extended Neighbourhood," the MEA said in an earlier statement. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a historic visit to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been high-levels exchanges at bilateral and multilateral forums," it added.