Rubio's Samarkand visit: US offers Central Asia cooperation without choice, analysts say

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Samarkand, Uzbekistan, within the C5+1 format, which was first held there on 1 November 2015. According to political analyst Shukhrat Rasul, Central Asia is strategically important to Washington because it lies between Russia and China. He said the US seeks to keep its global geopolitical influence.

C5+1 meetings have become a regular dialogue mechanism, but they have not been held on a fixed annual schedule, and there have been multi-year gaps. Central Asian leaders were invited to the US in February 2025, and a meeting with regional states is being held again in 2026.

Analyst Farhod Karimov said US geographic distance limits its direct influence in Eurasia, so strengthening the independence of regional states matters to Washington. Analysts note that US media stresses Washington offers Central Asian states cooperation without requiring them to make a geopolitical choice.