U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Samarkand on October 17-22 with a delegation of more than 200 business representatives, as Washington seeks to strengthen commercial ties with Central Asia.
According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio will participate in a C5+1 ministerial meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The talks will focus on strengthening strategic partnerships to promote peace and prosperity in the United States and Central Asia.
Rubio will also hold bilateral meetings with senior officials from all five Central Asian countries. The business delegation is expected to include more than 200 representatives, up from the 100 initially planned, as previously reported by Daryo.
“On this historic visit, Secretary Rubio will lead a U.S. commercial delegation comprised of over 200 business leaders, ushering in a new era of strengthened commercial cooperation for the United States and Central Asia,” the State Department said.
Following his visit to Uzbekistan, Rubio will travel to India, marking his second visit to the country in 2026. In Mumbai and Jamnagar, he is scheduled to meet senior government officials to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership and exchange views on regional and global developments.