United States’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Silk Road city of Samarkand on Sunday evening for talks with the foreign ministers of five Central Asian nations. The visit is part of a push to widen American diplomatic, economic and security cooperation in the region.
On Monday, Rubio will attend a ministerial meeting in the C5+1 format, which brings the United States together with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He is also due to hold bilateral talks with senior officials from each country.
The State Department says more than 200 American business leaders are travelling with him, among them representatives of Boeing, Citibank and Franklin Templeton. US development finance and export credit agencies are also expected to join business discussions.
Delighted to welcome the U.S. Secretary of State @marcorubio to historic city of #Samarkand on his first visit to Central Asia.
We look forward to C5+1 discussions, meeting with business leaders, and a session of the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council.
Welcome to Uzbekistan, Mr. Secretary!
— Saida Mirziyoyeva (@SMirziyoyeva) October 18, 2026
Asked before departure why he was making the trip while other crises compete for attention, Rubio called it “an important relationship.” He said the timing allowed him to gather all five foreign ministers at once. Long-term strategic business, he suggested, tends to suffer when diplomacy is consumed by emergencies.
The format was born in Samarkand in 2015, when then-Secretary of State John Kerry met his Central Asian counterparts here. It later rose to leaders’ level, with Joe Biden hosting a summit in 2023 and Donald Trump following in November 2025.
This most recent meeting focused on trade, investment and critical minerals. The US Commerce Department said it produced more than $25 billion in announced deals and commitments across aviation, farm equipment, railways and mining, though many are still at early stages rather than completed investments.
Washington’s interest is easy to explain. Central Asia holds large reserves of oil, gas, uranium and other minerals, and the US wants to diversify supply chains.
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Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are its biggest economic partners in the region, with 2025 bilateral trade in goods and services of $7.1 billion and $1.7 billion respectively. For the five governments, American money and technology offer an additional option as they balance existing ties with Russia and China.
The European Union is competing too, having announced a €12 billion Global Gateway package at a Samarkand summit in April 2025.
Rubio will also hold the first round of an expanded strategic partnership dialogue with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is expected at the second meeting of the Uzbekistan–US Business and Investment Council, co-chaired by US Special Envoy Sergio Gor. Counterterrorism is on the security agenda.
Authorities have imposed traffic restrictions around Samarkand from 18 to 22 October. Rubio travels next to India, with stops in Mumbai and Jamnagar, before his Asian tour ends on Thursday.
