The understanding was part of the nearly three dozen agreements signed between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Uzbek President Islam Karimov on 18 May, Indian media outlets reported.

The other pacts include some under which Indian private and public-sector firms would help Uzbekistan set up industries. Another agreement aims to give New Delhi access to the vast Uzbek gas reserves.

The two sides stressed the need for better transport linkages to boost bilateral and regional trade. In the short term, both nations will focus on opening the Trans-Afghan Corridor and the Central Asia-Persian Gulf Corridor.

“The implementation of these projects will considerably cut down the distance and costs for transportation of goods between Uzbekistan and India, as well as provide Afghanistan the opportunity to integrate into the regional system of transport connectivity,” said the joint statement issued after the discussions.

Both routes originate from Tashkent and can be linked to the Iranian ports of Chabahar and Bandar-Abbas. Uzbekistan wants Indian help to construct the links.

Once complete, the routes will enable India ship goods to Iranian ports and transport them by land into Afghanistan and central Asian countries —bypassing both Pakistan and the troubled areas of Afghanistan.

US-led forces now use parts of these routes in Uzbekistan to send supplies to neighbouring Afghanistan by skipping Pakistan where the convoys have come under attack.