U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is set to hold a joint meeting with foreign ministers of five Central Asian states in Washington on August 3, a State Department official says.
Daniel Rosenblum, deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Asia, told reporters during a telephone briefing on July 28 that the meeting will take place as part of a new format for dialogue between the United States and the Central Asian countries known as the C5+1.
Kerry attended the first C5+1 meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during a regional trip in November 2015.
The Samarkand meeting focused on regional cooperation, the fight against cross-border threats, and support for Afghanistan's peace and stability.
The November visit was Kerry's first trip around former Soviet Central Asia, which is dominated by authoritarian leaders, since he assumed office as the top U.S. diplomat in 2013.
