US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travelled to Samarkand on 18 October for scheduled meetings within the C5+1 framework. The Samarkand leg of his trip runs from 17 to 19 October, and after Uzbekistan, Rubio is due to visit India; the entire itinerary is scheduled to run until 22 October.
Briefly about the main points
- Rubio set off for the scheduled C5+1 meetings in Samarkand.
- The trip takes place from 17 to 22 October and will continue in India.
- Rubio is accompanied by a business delegation of over 200 representatives.
- C5+1 is a framework for cooperation between the US and five Central Asian countries.
Meetings in Samarkand and the business delegation
In Samarkand Rubio. has scheduled meetings with representatives of the C5+1 — a diplomatic forum comprising the US and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. According to the State Department, the Secretary of State is accompanied by a trade delegation comprising over 200 business leaders.
The officially stated aim of the trip is to develop the US’s investment and security ties with Central and South Asia. Following the conclusion of the Samarkand leg of his tour, Rubio is due to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar in India.
The C5+1 format has been in operation since 2015
The C5+1 is not a new mechanism: the platform was launched in 2015 to facilitate regular dialogue between Washington and the five Central Asian states. The first ministerial meeting under this format also took place in Samarkand.
The current talks continue in this format against the backdrop of growing US economic and security engagement with the region. Reuters noted that the US administration is paying greater attention to Central Asia, which is situated between China, Russia and Iran.
The context of US relations with countries in the region
In November 2025, the US President Donald Trump hosted the C5 leaders at the White House. At that time, Kazakhstan announced its accession to the Abraham Accords — a set of agreements designed to strengthen ties between Israel and Muslim-majority countries.
This move was largely symbolic, as Kazakhstan has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992. According to Reuters, the US had previously discussed the possibility of other Central Asian countries joining the Abraham Accords, but no specific decisions were announced following the Samarkand meetings.
