US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit Uzbekistan for C5+1 meeting and business talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Samarkand in mid-October, leading a business delegation of more than 100 American companies, according to Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia. The visit is expected to focus on expanding trade and investment ties between the United States and Uzbekistan and strengthening US engagement with Central Asia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Uzbekistan for a C5+1 meeting and business discussions.
Rubio will also participate in a C5+1 ministerial meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Gor said. The talks are expected to focus on regional economic connectivity, energy security and other shared priorities under the C5+1 framework.
During the trip, Rubio is expected to meet with Uzbekistan’s leadership and his Central Asian counterparts to discuss expanding trade, attracting private-sector investment and supporting economic modernization across the region, according to Gor.
The planned visit comes as Washington and Tashkent have been broadening economic and investment cooperation. Uzbekistan and the United States have identified energy, transport, critical minerals, digital technologies and agriculture as areas for further joint projects.
The C5+1 format brings together the United States and the five Central Asian countries. The platform was launched in 2015, and its first ministerial meeting was held in Samarkand.