US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit Uzbekistan for C5+1 meeting and business talks

AKIPRESS.COM – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Samarkand in mid-October, leading a business delegation of more than 100 American companies, Kun.uz reported with reference to Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia. 

Rubio will also take part in a C5+1 ministerial meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Gor said. Discussions are expected to cover regional economic connectivity, energy security and other shared priorities within the C5+1 framework.

During the visit, 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 expanding economic and investment cooperation. Uzbekistan and the United States have identified energy, transport, critical minerals, digital technologies and agriculture among 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, with its first ministerial meeting held in Samarkand.