Uzbekistan and US Ties Reach New Peak at Samarkand Business Council

Relations between Uzbekistan and the United States have reached the 'highest peak' in their history of cooperation, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on 19 October at the second meeting of the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council in Samarkand. He credited President Donald Trump with a key role in developing the ties. Mirziyoyev said hundreds of enterprises with American capital already operate in Uzbekistan.

Mirziyoyev proposed three directions: creating clear and predictable conditions for American investors, moving from individual projects to broad industrial partnership, and turning the council into a strategic mechanism for long-term economic cooperation. He said 54 agreements and initiatives are worth about $12 billion. Priority sectors include critical minerals, energy, digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington intends to strengthen its partnership with Central Asia and Uzbekistan in particular. He linked the development of relations to reforms in Uzbekistan. Rubio called Uzbekistan's invitation to attend the G20 summit in the United States as an observer later this year an important step.