US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday ahead of talks with foreign ministers from five Central Asian countries aimed at expanding diplomatic, economic and security cooperation.

Axar.az reports, citing Euronews, that Rubio will attend a ministerial meeting under the C5+1 format, which brings together the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with officials from all five countries.

Trade, investment, critical minerals and security are expected to top the agenda. More than 200 American business leaders are accompanying the delegation to explore commercial opportunities in the region.

“This is an important relationship,” Rubio told reporters before departing Washington, explaining that the meeting would bring together the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries.

The C5+1 framework was established in 2015 and later expanded to presidential-level meetings. At the November 2025 summit in Washington, more than $25 billion in commercial agreements and commitments were announced, covering sectors including aviation, agriculture, railway infrastructure and mineral development.

Rubio is also scheduled to hold talks with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on political relations, trade, investment and regional and international developments.