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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Samarkand on Monday, with the two officials reviewing the breadth of bilateral ties as a freshly concluded round of business negotiations produced agreements valued at $12 billion.
Rubio was in Uzbekistan for the C5+1 ministerial meeting — the diplomatic forum linking Washington with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — as well as the second session of the US–Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council. At the opening of his talks with Mirziyoyev, Rubio conveyed greetings and best wishes from President Donald Trump.
The two sides said they had reviewed progress on commitments made at the highest level and welcomed the C5+1 ministerial’s reaffirmation of US and Central Asian commitment to regional dialogue. Bilateral cooperation now spans political and security affairs, trade and investment, technology, education and culture, with parliamentary contacts, government-agency exchanges and academic ties all described as intensifying.
Trade up 35%, deals across six sectors
Bilateral trade turnover has risen 35 percent since the start of the year, according to statements from the meeting. Joint projects are advancing in civil aviation, automotive manufacturing, mining, energy, agriculture, digitalization and finance. The Business and Investment Council’s second session identified further opportunities in critical minerals, energy, transport, artificial intelligence and digital technologies, and both sides underscored the value of stronger interregional business delegations and reciprocal visits.
Security cooperation also featured in the talks. The two governments have been working together to combat terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and illegal migration. An Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue, established to provide a structured framework for advancing bilateral ties, held its first meeting and produced several signed documents, among them the Artemis Accords on the peaceful exploration of space — making Uzbekistan a signatory to the US-led framework governing civil space cooperation.
Educational and people-to-people ties
People-to-people links are growing alongside the institutional relationship. Tashkent hosts Webster University, the American University of Technology, and a competency center affiliated with the Colorado School of Mines. The number of American tourists visiting Uzbekistan has also been rising, the two sides noted, though no specific figures were provided.
The $12 billion in new agreements from the Business and Investment Council session represents the headline economic outcome of Rubio’s visit, underscoring the scale of commercial ambitions that have developed in parallel with the diplomatic and security architecture the two countries have been building.