U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Samarkand on Oct. 19 to participate in the C5+1 ministerial meeting alongside foreign ministers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, gazeta.uz reported. The meeting was announced by Omonulla Fayziyev, press secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
High-Stakes Diplomacy and Commercial Delegation in Samarkand
The diplomatic gathering brings the top American diplomat face-to-face with his Central Asian counterparts for regional talks centered on economic connectivity, energy security, and joint solutions to shared challenges. Following the multilateral C5+1 session, Rubio and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, will convene for the inaugural round of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue, where the sides will discuss deepening the strategic partnership, expanding political, trade, economic, and investment cooperation, as well as regional and international issues.
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According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio’s broader diplomatic tour spans from Oct. 17 to Oct. 22, after which he will travel to Mumbai and Jamnagar in India. The State Department has characterized the Uzbekistan leg as historical, noting that Rubio arrives heading a commercial delegation of more than 200 American corporate leaders. This massive business presence aims to jump-start a new era of commercial cooperation between the United States and the region. In Samarkand, Rubio will also hold bilateral meetings with high-ranking representatives of all five regional states: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and participate in meetings alongside business circles from the U.S. and Central Asian countries. According to the State Department, Rubio will discuss how C5+1 strategic cooperation helps build more peaceful and prosperous futures
for the United States and Central Asian nations.
Securing Rare Earths and Expanding Trade Ties
Economic ties between Washington and Tashkent have gained substantial momentum over the past year. In November 2025, during a C5+1 summit, presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump agreed to establish the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council, which officially opened in Washington in April.
Fergana.agency reported that cooperation over critical minerals and rare-earth metals remains a primary objective for both governments. That framework builds directly on a memorandum of understanding signed by Saidov and Rubio in Washington in February, cementing bilateral cooperation in the extraction and processing of critical resources.
Looking Ahead to Regional Integration
This visit marks Rubio’s first trip to Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region in his capacity as secretary of state. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor noted in September that the delegation’s primary focus in Samarkand involves deepening regional economic integration and reinforcing supply chains.
