Rubio to lead 100-plus US business delegation to Samarkand in mid-October

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation of more than 100 American companies to Samarkand in mid-October. He will attend a C5+1 foreign ministers' meeting and hold talks on trade, investment, and economic cooperation. The visit aims to strengthen US-Central Asia strategic partnership.
Key Facts
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation of more than 100 American companies to Samarkand in mid-October.
- Special US envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gore announced the visit on September 24.
- Rubio will attend a C5+1 foreign ministers' meeting with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- The US mission called the visit historic due to the scale of the business delegation.
Delegation and Announcement
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation of more than 100 American companies to Samarkand in mid-October. Special US envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gore announced the visit on September 24 in a post on the US diplomatic mission's website in India. The delegation will include representatives from over 100 American companies, according to Gore. The US mission described the upcoming visit as historic due to the scale of the business delegation.
C5+1 Meeting Agenda
In Samarkand, Rubio will participate in a C5+1 foreign ministers' meeting with representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The parties plan to discuss regional economic connectivity, energy security, and joint approaches to common regional issues within the C5+1 format. The meeting will also address economic interconnectedness, energy security, and other shared priorities of Central Asian countries and the United States.
Bilateral and Regional Talks
Rubio will hold meetings with Uzbekistan's leadership and representatives of regional countries. Main topics will include expanding trade, attracting private sector investment, and supporting economic modernization in Central Asia. The American side also intends to discuss support for economic modernization and development of business ties in Central Asia. The US diplomatic mission stated: "We look forward to using the visit to further strengthen the growing relationship between the United States and Uzbekistan."