The key facts
- Rubio arrived in Samarkand on October 18, 2026; he was met by the head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva
- The C5+1 meeting is taking place with the participation of the United States, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
- According to the State Department, more than 200 American business leaders arrived with Rubio, including representatives of Boeing, Citibank and Franklin Templeton
Arrival in Samarkand
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand on Sunday evening, October 18, 2026, on the eve of talks with representatives of five Central Asian countries. According to Daryo.uz, the high-ranking guest was met by the head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva. Rubio will take part in a ministerial meeting of the C5+1 format, which brings together the United States, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and will also hold bilateral meetings with high-ranking officials of all five countries.
The business component of the visit
According to the US State Department, Rubio is accompanied by a delegation of more than 200 American business leaders; discussions will focus on opportunities for trade, investment and economic cooperation. The delegation includes representatives of Boeing, Citibank and Franklin Templeton, and American development and export credit institutions are expected to take part in the business discussions. Before departing from Washington, answering journalists' questions at Andrews Air Force Base, Rubio explained the choice of Uzbekistan: according to him, visits are usually connected with crises or conferences, 'but there are countries with which we want to develop relations.' He also noted that the date of the visit was chosen so as to gather the foreign ministers of all five countries of the region.
The C5+1 format and the economic context
The C5+1 format was created in Samarkand in November 2015, when then-Secretary of State John Kerry met with counterparts from the five Central Asian republics. The dialogue then rose to the presidential level: meetings were held by Joe Biden in 2023 and Donald Trump in November 2025. According to the US Department of Commerce, during the November 2025 meetings, commercial agreements and commitments worth more than $25 billion (about €22 billion) were announced — in the areas of aviation, agricultural machinery, railway infrastructure and mineral development; these are agreements at various stages of development, not completed investments. According to the US government, bilateral US trade turnover in 2025 reached $7.1 billion with Kazakhstan and $1.7 billion with Uzbekistan. Central Asia has significant reserves of oil, gas and uranium, as well as minerals for high technologies; for the countries of the region, rapprochement with the United States provides additional sources of investment and access to markets while maintaining close economic ties with Russia and China. The European Union is also developing ties with the region: at the summit in Samarkand in April 2025, Brussels announced a €12 billion Global Gateway package in the areas of transport, critical raw materials, energy and digital connectivity.
Bilateral meetings and security
On Monday, the first round of an expanded strategic partnership dialogue between Rubio and Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov is scheduled; according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the discussions will cover political relations, trade, investment and regional and international issues. On October 16, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, to prepare the visit; on Monday, Mirziyoyev will take part in the second meeting of the 'Uzbekistan — US' Council on Business and Investment, co-chaired by Saida Mirziyoyeva and Sergio Gor. Security in Samarkand has been strengthened: the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan announced temporary restrictions on traffic on roads leading into the city and on a number of central streets from October 18 to 22. Security, including counterterrorism cooperation, is also on the meeting's agenda. After Uzbekistan, Rubio will head to India — to Mumbai and Jamnagar — for talks on trade and energy cooperation; the Asian tour is expected to conclude on Thursday.
