US Secretary of State Rubio arrives in Samarkand for C5+1 meeting — Euronews
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday evening ahead of talks with representatives of five Central Asian countries. On Monday, he is scheduled to take part in a ministerial meeting of the C5+1 format, which brings together the United States, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Euronews reports.
Trade, investment and security
Rubio's visit program also includes bilateral meetings with senior officials from all five states. The parties are expected to discuss trade, investment, critical minerals and security cooperation. The US State Department said that Rubio is accompanied by more than 200 US business representatives.
Before departing Washington, Rubio described relations with the countries of the region as important. According to him, the timing of the visit was chosen to bring together the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries in one place.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Partnership with Uzbekistan
On Monday, Rubio and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov are to hold the first round of an expanded dialogue on strategic partnership. According to Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry, the talks will cover political relations, trade, investment, as well as regional and international issues.
The C5+1 format was launched in Samarkand in November 2015, when then-US Secretary of State John Kerry met with his counterparts from the five Central Asian republics. According to the US Department of Commerce, commercial agreements and commitments worth more than $25 billion were announced during C5+1 meetings in Washington in November 2025 in aviation, agricultural machinery, railway infrastructure and mineral extraction. These were agreements at various stages of implementation, rather than investments that had already been made.
After talks in Uzbekistan, Rubio plans to visit India, where he will meet with government officials and business representatives to discuss trade and energy cooperation.
