U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the "territorial integrity" of five Central Asian nations -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- after meeting with the countries' leaders in New York late on September 19 amid the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Biden called the meeting "historic" as the leader of the United States met with what has been dubbed the C5+1 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkment President Serdar Berdymukhammedov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev.
Biden added that the five former Soviet republics, which Russia considers its backyard, and the United States had a "shared commitment to sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity."
"These principles matter more than ever, in my view...I genuinely believe the world is safer when we stand together," Biden said,
The U.S. president also said that the United States and the five Central Asian nations "are taking our cooperation to new heights," stressing that efforts would include strengthened counterterrorism cooperation and increased U.S. security funding in the region, new business connections with the U.S. private sector, and a C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue to develop Central Asia’s vast mineral wealth and advance the security of critical minerals such as those needed for the high-tech industry.
In his speech to the UNGA delivered earlier in the day, Biden warned that Moscow's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine launched in February last year could undermine the international principles of the countries' sovereignty.
Ahead of the C5+1 summit, rights watchdogs had urged Biden to use the meeting to emphasize human rights.
All five Central Asian nations have a documented history of credible, serious allegations of human rights abuses, including crackdowns on opposition politicians, independent journalists, civil society, and other democratic institutions.
The White House readout of the meeting said Biden “welcomed his counterparts' views on how our nations can work together to further strengthen the Central Asian nations' sovereignty, resilience, and prosperity while also advancing human rights through our C5+1 partnership.”
"President Biden advocated for continued support of civil society and women’s economic empowerment activities and encouraged a new C5+1 focus on mainstreaming disability rights across all sectors," the readout said.