US Secretary of State Rubio signs $12 billion in deals in Uzbekistan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Uzbekistan, where multibillion-dollar investment and trade agreements were signed between the sides. According to Bloomberg, Rubio arrived in Samarkand on Sunday evening, where he was met by Saida Mirziyoyeva, the president's daughter and head of his administration. The agreements, worth $12 billion, cover a wide range of activity, from aviation to financial services and mining.

In the transport sector, an agreement was announced with GE Aerospace to supply engines for Uzbekistan Airways. In finance, Franklin Templeton, Oppenheimer & Co., Citigroup and BlackRock concluded agreements aimed at easing Uzbek companies' access to international capital markets. In mining, agreements involving ReElement Technologies and Trafigura were announced. Analysts say Washington seeks to reduce its dependence on China for critical minerals.

Asked about economic competition with Russia and China, Rubio said “It's about competition”, but added that Washington does not seek to force countries in the region to sever ties with other powers. Lora Linderman, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said the C5+1 meeting would be an even greater success if the format were expanded to C6+1 to include Azerbaijan. Official sources have not commented on that possibility.