PM Modi gets Uzbekistan's highest state honour, Order of Oliy Darajali Do‘stlik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred the ‘Order of Oliy Darajali Do‘stlik’, Uzbekistan’s highest state honour, by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in recognition of the deep and enduring ties between India and Uzbekistan.Prime Minister Narendra Modi being conferred with Uzbekistan's prestigious 'Oliy Darajali Do'stlik' by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (PTI)This happened during PM Modi's two-day state visit to the Central Asian country.The prestigious honour was presented to PM Modi in Tashkent as the two leaders held delegation-level talks to expand cooperation between India and Uzbekistan across several key areas.Last year, Uzbekistan conferred the same award on Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan. Other notable leaders who have gotten the award are Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and United Nations secretary general António Guterres.What PM Modi saidPrime Minister Narendra Modi thanked his "brother" President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the honour, saying India and Uzbekistan will work together for the welfare of the Global South and humanity.Expressing gratitude for the warmth extended to him and his delegation during his two-day State visit, PM Modi said the visit would remain memorable for him."My friend, the father of the economic revolution in Uzbekistan, who has served as a role model across this entire region in scaling new heights of development- this two-day visit of mine will always be remembered," PM Modi said."The warmth with which my delegation and I were welcomed made us feel right at home, and for this, I express my deepest heartfelt gratitude to the President," he added.Reflecting on the honour, PM Modi said the words used by President Mirziyoyev captured India's heritage, its spirit of universal brotherhood and the efforts of its 1.4 billion people."The words you just used for me and the generosity you expressed--I believe you have captured in very few words India's thousands-of-years-old heritage, the identity of an India that lives by the spirit of universal brotherhood (Vishwa Bandhutva), and the enterprise of 1.4 billion fellow citizens," he said."I may only be a medium for all your words, but the true recipients are my thousands-of-years-old heritage, and the perseverance and hard work of 1.4 billion countrymen- they are the true deserving bearers of this honour," PM Modi added.Calling the award a moment of "immense pride", the Prime Minister highlighted the significance of the word "Dostlik", meaning friendship, and said it reflected the core sentiment of India-Uzbekistan relations."Being conferred with Uzbekistan's highest award is a moment of immense pride for me. And you used a word with which the people of India are also very familiar--'Dostlik'," he said."'Dostlik' means friendship. This single word exquisitely captures and expresses the sentiment that lies at the very core of relations between India and Uzbekistan," PM Modi said.PM Modi said the honour belonged not only to him but to the people of India, and dedicated it to the longstanding friendship and shared heritage between the two countries."This honour does not belong to just one individual; it belongs to 1.4 billion people of India. On behalf of all the people of India, I express my sincere gratitude to the people of Uzbekistan, its government, and my friend, the Honourable President," he said."I accept this highest honour with utmost humility and humbly dedicate it to the centuries-old friendship and our shared heritage between both nations," he added.The Prime Minister also credited President Mirziyoyev's leadership and friendship with India for the steady strengthening of bilateral ties, noting that the relationship has now been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."Excellency, under your visionary leadership and your friendship toward India, our relations have grown consistently stronger. They continue to successfully scale new heights at every step. As a result, our ties have today been elevated to the new level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," PM Modi said.PM Modi said the honour also carried a greater responsibility and assured the people of Uzbekistan that India would remain committed to the friendship between the two countries.