Rubio to Discuss Trade and Investment with Central Asian Foreign Ministers in Samarkand

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Samarkand on October 18 to hold talks with foreign ministers of Central Asian countries. Washington is stepping up efforts to strengthen ties with the region, which lies between Russia and China, according to Azattyk Asia. Rubio said the relationship is “important” and noted that strategic cooperation often remains in the shadows.

A senior US official said Washington had focused too long on the Middle East and the East, while Central Asia had not received the attention it deserves. Representatives of more than 200 American companies, including Boeing, Citibank and Franklin Templeton, will travel with Rubio. He is expected to meet the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries on October 19. The visit aims to advance commercial diplomacy, investment and security cooperation within the C5+1 format.

The official said Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together delivered more than $30 billion in new investment into the United States over the past year. Kazakhstan has announced its intention to officially join the Abraham Accords, but no date has been set. Leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan received invitations to the G20 summit as observers. The United States is also strengthening counterterrorism cooperation with some countries in the region.