U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Samarkand on October 19, as Uzbekistan announced 54 agreements and proposed initiatives with U.S. partners valued at nearly $12 billion.
The meeting took place under the C5+1 format, which brings together Washington and the five Central Asian republics. Rubio also met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He attended a U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council event.
His visit included more than 200 U.S. business leaders. Mirziyoyev said the package was prepared with input from 45 Uzbek ministries and government agencies. Reported areas of cooperation include transport and energy infrastructure, critical minerals, finance, digital technology, agriculture, health care and education.
Uzbekistan did not say how much of the announced total had secured financing and how much was still at the planning stage. The figure represents agreements and initiatives, rather than investment confirmed as already delivered. During the visit, Uzbekistan also signed the Artemis Accords on peaceful space exploration.
In a joint statement, the six governments said they would work toward closer integration of regional economies, mineral processing and development of the Trans-Caspian trade route. Rubio described the broader effort as a push to strengthen U.S. economic and diplomatic ties with Central Asia.