Rubio and Central Asian Foreign Ministers Open C5+1 Talks in Samarkand

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev participated on October 19 in a meeting between Central Asian foreign ministers and US State Secretary Marco Rubio in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. The talks are taking place within the C5+1 integration format, which unites diplomats from five Central Asian states and a representative from Washington.

The main topics of the round are trade, energy, logistics, and regional security. Rubio's visit is accompanied by a large commercial delegation: over 200 American companies and investors came to the region together with the State Secretary. Washington is counting on expanding direct capital investments in the region's economy and strengthening transport corridors connecting Central Asia to external markets.

It is symbolic that the meeting returned to the venue of its founding: it was in Samarkand in autumn 2015 that the first ministerial meeting of the C5+1 format took place with the participation of then-State Secretary John Kerry. Over the past 9 years, the mechanism has evolved from a dialogue platform into a full-fledged instrument for economic and infrastructure agreements.