U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for expanded cooperation between Washington and Central Asian countries, highlighting Samarkand’s historical role as a global trade hub during a speech at Registan Square on October 19.
“Few places on Earth have historically played such an important role in global trade and commerce as Samarkand. It’s an honor to be here today — not just to remember the history, but the opportunities for the future,” Rubio said.
He noted that the United States was interested in strengthening ties not only with Uzbekistan but also with the wider Central Asian region, adding that the region played an important role in Washington’s efforts to expand international cooperation.
“We have such incredible opportunities to do great things together for our peoples both on the commercial field and trade in science and technology in so many fields and we're here to reinforce that we're accompanied by hundreds of American businesses who are interested in doing deals here and partnerships,” Rubio said.
The U.S. secretary of state also highlighted interest from American businesses in Uzbekistan, noting that hundreds of company representatives had joined the visit to explore commercial opportunities and establish partnerships.
“I think [those partnerships] will help enrich both countries and in fact the whole region and the United States,” he said.
Returning to Samarkand’s historical significance, Rubio noted that the city had long served as a crossroads for international commerce and expressed Washington’s interest in participating in its renewed trade connections.
“So it's a great way to start the visit and to be here to remind ourselves that for so many centuries, global trade and commerce came through here. And once again, it is returning and we wanna be a part of it, a strong part of it. And we're looking forward to building this partnership,” he said.
Rubio visited Registan Square accompanied by Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan.
Samarkand is hosting meetings between the United States and Central Asian countries under the C5+1 format, which provides a framework for regional cooperation on trade, investment, security and other shared priorities.