Marco Rubio’s Uzbekistan visit brings the United States together with five Central Asian governments for talks on investment, trade and critical minerals. Preparations include a business council meeting and project proposals. Regional specialists describe the importance of technology and capital for mineral development, while human-rights advocates are pressing Washington to keep reform on the agenda.
Geopolitics··Evening
Samarkand hosts talks with five Central Asian states
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Uzbekistan visit centres on Samarkand and meetings with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries. The C5+1 format brings the United States together with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The programme combines bilateral talks, a regional ministerial gathering and contacts involving businesses. Trade, investment and critical minerals are prominent subjects as regional governments seek a broader range of external partners.[1], [2]
Investment plans need technology and capital
Preparations included Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s meeting with US envoy Sergio Gor in Tashkent on 16 October. The presidential account identified the strategic partnership, the ministerial gathering and a second meeting of the Uzbekistan–US Business and Investment Council. Concrete project proposals and joint initiatives in priority areas were discussed. The council provides a platform for trade and investment projects between the two countries.[1]
Regional specialists stress that mineral deposits require development, technology and investment before they can supply production. Uzbekistan-born expert Galiya Ibragimova described the Trump administration’s regional approach as commercially focused, with demands for domestic reform pushed into the background. Her assessment concerns the direction of US diplomacy, rather than an announced commercial contract. Washington’s agenda includes cooperation with American companies and a substantial business delegation.[1]
The preparatory talks also covered upcoming international events and advancing initiatives in priority areas. The investment council is part of the bilateral relationship alongside the wider regional meeting. The programme runs from Saturday through Tuesday, bringing business discussions into a diplomatic format that also covers regional security.[1]
Rights advocates press for a place on the agenda
Alisher Ilkhamov, who leads the London-based Central Asia Due Diligence research organisation, argued that the region’s position between Russia, China and Iran also shaped Washington’s interest. No new military-base agreement has been announced. Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee human-rights organisation, called for human rights to return to the State Department’s priorities. He argued that future credibility for the C5+1 format depended on restoring that focus. These interventions accompany a visit combining commercial objectives with regional-security discussions.[1]
