Tashkent, May 25
That Tashkent had a grouse with New Delhi over the near absence of Indian business in Uzbekistan came out clearly during Vice-President M Hamid Ansari's visit to this strategically located Central Asian nation that looks for more footfalls and investment by Indian businessmen to boost its economy.

This was revealed by Ansari, when he acknowledged that his host, President Islam Karimov, made it clear that "there was not enough Indian business presence in Uzbekistan".

Apparently that was an area of concern in Uzbekistan, which has historic, cultural and friendly ties with India running over centuries.

Uzbekistan, which had to stand on its legs after it gained independence from Russia - the country was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union - in 1991, is looking for investment as its economy is not showing as much growth as it had hoped for.

From the lifestyle of its people though, it is difficult to understand that the country is having any problems on the economic front. But the first indication of rising inflation comes when the official exchange rate of a US dollar is more than 2,000 sum - the official currency of Uzbekistan.

The country has a lot of natural resources - oil, gas and uranium - and is strategically located in Central Asia, having borders with almost all former Soviet Union states and Afghanistan.

It is looking toward India because the two nations stand together on many issues on the strategic plane. But the strategies require economic drive and for that nations depend on friendly countries. Uzbekistan is no exception.

The business community of India, which is making its presence felt in faraway lands in Africa and also Europe, it seems is hesitant to enter Uzbekistan for its own reasons best known to the community. It is here where the bridges need to be built between the two countries because economic and strategic cooperation supplement one another.

The Indian diplomats are aware of the fact that Chinese merchandise from saffron to silk is making its way into the big bazaars here. Uzbeki cotton and Samarkand saffron are facing tough completion from China. A diplomat acknowledged that China could outsmart India in the Central Asian markets.

They should take cue from the fact that whatever market the Indian visitors visit, they are greeted with "namaste" or "salam". The Indian features are so well known to them, but the business is not there.