Rubio set off for Uzbekistan
On October 19, he will participate in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian countries in Samarkand.
Rubio leaves for Uzbekistan
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has departed for Samarkand to participate in a meeting of Foreign Ministers of Central Asian states. He is accompanied by more than 200 American businesspeople interested in investing in the region, including in the field of critical mineral extraction and processing.
Prior to the trip, he spoke to journalists at the airport and answered a question about the reasons for his visit to Central Asia.
"We go to certain countries not because there is a crisis there, but because we want to develop relations with them," he said.
The head of the State Department emphasized that this applies not only to Uzbekistan, but also to the remaining four countries of the region.
On October 19, a meeting of the heads of foreign affairs agencies of Central Asian countries and the US in the "C5+1" format will be held in Samarkand.
The meeting will be attended by the Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
On the same day, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov and Marco Rubio will hold the first round of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue between the two countries.
The parties will discuss deepening strategic partnership, expanding political, trade, economic, and investment cooperation, as well as regional and international issues.
In addition, meetings involving representatives of the business circles of the US and Central Asian countries are also planned.
After the meetings in Samarkand, the US Secretary of State will head to India.