The key facts

  • Rubio: the visit dates are convenient for the leaders of all five Central Asian countries
  • The C5+1 meeting will take place with the participation of the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
  • Saidov and Rubio will hold the first round of the expanded strategic partnership dialogue

Reason for choosing the timing of the visit

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the reason for his visit to Uzbekistan and the C5+1 meeting in a conversation with journalists before departing from Joint Base Andrews. Asked why he chose to travel to Uzbekistan now, amid global crises and instability, Rubio replied that this time turned out to be convenient for the leaders of the five countries. “It is not only about Uzbekistan, but also about the other four countries of Central Asia,” he said.

On foreign policy priorities

Rubio acknowledged that due to global crises, important strategic visits are often postponed: “Somewhere a crisis, a problem or a conference arises — we always rush there, and as a result strategic visits suffer from this.” However, according to him, since the US wants to strengthen relations, there are countries they seek to visit: a few weeks ago — Greece, before that — Latin America, and now — Central Asia. In the view of the head of the State Department, the chosen date is the most optimal time to gather in one place the leaders and foreign ministers of the five countries of the region.

Meeting program

The C5+1 summit will be attended by the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. On the same day, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov and Marco Rubio will hold the first round of dialogue on the expanded strategic partnership between the two countries.

Background

Gazeta reported on Rubio’s upcoming visit to Samarkand in September. At that time, the US President’s Special Representative for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, stated that the Secretary of State would lead a delegation of representatives of more than 100 American companies. According to Gor, the meeting is planned to focus on deepening regional economic ties, strengthening energy security and joint solutions to pressing issues of the region.