Marco Rubio visits Uzbekistan to promote US trade and ties with Central Asia

Oct 17, 2026

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 18, 2026, to attend a C5+1 ministerial meeting alongside foreign ministers from five Central Asian nations. Accompanied by a delegation of over 200 American business leaders, Rubio oversaw $12 billion in trade and investment agreements across infrastructure, finance, and critical minerals. The visit reflects a broader shift toward transactional economic competition in a region traditionally dominated by Russia and China.

Preparations and schedule for Rubio's visit

▪Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with US Special Envoy Sergio Gor on October 16, 2026 to review preparations for Marco Rubio's visit and the C5+1 meeting.
▪During his October 2026 trip to Uzbekistan, Marco Rubio scheduled bilateral talks with senior officials from all five Central Asian C5+1 partner nations.
▪US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 18, 2026 to attend a C5+1 ministerial meeting with foreign ministers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
▪Uzbekistan's Interior Ministry imposed temporary traffic restrictions on roads leading into Samarkand and several central streets from October 18 to October 22, 2026 for Marco Rubio's visit.

US-Uzbekistan strategic and bilateral agreements

▪On October 19, 2026, Uzbekistan signed the Artemis Accords, establishing non-binding guidelines for space exploration and space resource management during Marco Rubio's visit to Samarkand.
▪United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov held the first round of an expanded strategic partnership dialogue in Samarkand on October 19, 2026.

US business delegation agreements in Samarkand

▪The US business delegation's October 19, 2026 meetings in Samarkand yielded 54 business agreements worth $12 billion across sectors including transport, energy, finance, and digital technologies.
▪Financial firms Franklin Templeton, Citigroup, Oppenheimer & Co., and BlackRock agreed in Samarkand to help Uzbek companies expand access to global capital markets.
▪US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was accompanied to Samarkand in October 2026 by a delegation of over 200 American business leaders representing companies including Boeing, Citibank, and Franklin Templeton.
▪Locomotive manufacturer Wabtec signed an agreement in Samarkand on October 19, 2026 to localize production of railway equipment in Uzbekistan.

Cooperation on critical minerals

▪The C5+1 joint statement issued in Samarkand on October 19, 2026 outlined plans to expand mineral extraction and develop pathways for regional value-added exports to international markets.
▪US efforts to expand economic partnerships in Central Asia during Marco Rubio's October 2026 visit focused on securing access to the region's rare earth and critical mineral supplies.

Economic competition and ties with China and Russia

▪Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on October 18, 2026, highlighting an $18 billion 2025 trade turnover and $60 billion in agreed projects.
▪Central Asian C5+1 member nations maintain extensive economic, security, and historical ties with Russia and China while seeking additional trade and technology investment from the United States.
▪In Samarkand on October 19, 2026, Marco Rubio stated that the United States seeks fair economic competition in Central Asia without requiring regional nations to end ties with China or Russia.

US-Uzbekistan economic and Trade commitments

▪In 2025, bilateral trade in goods and services between the United States and Central Asian nations reached $7.1 billion with Kazakhstan and $1.7 billion with Uzbekistan.
▪In 2025, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pledged to invest up to $100 billion in the United States economy and purchase American aircraft and cotton.

Trump administration policy on Central Asia

▪Under the Trump administration, US foreign policy toward Central Asia shifted toward a transactional economic approach focused on trade and resources rather than democratization and human rights.
▪Donald Trump hosted C5+1 leaders at a White House summit in November 2025 where over $25 billion in commercial commitments were announced and Kazakhstan agreed to join the Abraham Accords.

Marco Rubio's foreign travel schedule

▪Marco Rubio defended visiting Uzbekistan amid active global crises, stating that US foreign policy must build long-term strategic relationships rather than focus exclusively on immediate problems.
▪In early October 2026, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio made foreign visits to Greece, Portugal, and Iceland.
▪Following his engagements in Uzbekistan, Marco Rubio scheduled visits to Mumbai and Jamnagar, India, for trade and energy cooperation discussions.

Lindsey o. Graham Act provisions

▪President Donald Trump temporarily paused tariffs and sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Act in October 2026, allowing a 60-day period to analyze economic impacts on allies like India.
▪The Lindsey O. Graham Act would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or gas.