US To Make Investment, Counterterrorism Push As Rubio Heads To Central Asia

WASHINGTON -- As Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Uzbekistan this weekend, Washington is hoping the high-level diplomatic engagement translates into concrete economic and security cooperation.

Speaking to reporters on a background call on October 16 Rubio's visit, a State Department official said more than 200 American companies would accompany the secretary to Samarkand, where he is expected to meet with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries.

The tour reflects the Trump administration's effort to combine diplomacy with trade, investment, and security cooperation across South and Central Asia, regions Washington views as increasingly important to its economic and strategic interests.

"For too long, the United States has focused on the Middle East and the East, and this area in the middle, Central Asia, has not gotten the attention that it deserves," the senior official said.

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The American delegation will include representatives of major companies such as Boeing, Citibank, and Franklin Templeton, as well as businesses operating in critical minerals and other strategic sectors.

Officials from the US International Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the National Security Council, and the State Department will also participate in meetings designed to connect American businesses with potential partners across Central Asia.

The senior State Department official said Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan alone had generated more than $30 billion in new investments into the United States over the past year.

Republican Senator John Curtis, who has supported closer US engagement with Central Asia, says the region's stability is essential to American interests at a time of heightened uncertainty elsewhere in the world.

"A stable Central Asian region, with so much uncertainty in other parts of the globe, is just essential for us," he told RFE/RL.

"It's up to them, but to partner with us could be an incredibly important part of a relationship. As everybody knows, critical minerals are very important, not just to the United States but to the world. And I think that's a great asset they have that could be very important."

Samarkand, a historic trading center on the Silk Road, will serve as the main venue for the Central Asian portion of Rubio's trip.

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The visit will include bilateral meetings and the C5+1 format meeting, as well as direct engagement between American companies, regional businesses, and government representatives.

Kazakhstan's announced intention to join the Abraham Accords was another key development highlighted during the briefing. The senior official said Washington was working toward a potential signing ceremony but did not provide a date.

“Stay tuned," the official said, adding that the sides hoped to complete the process "sooner than later.”

The Abraham Accords were originally established to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

Kazakhstan's potential participation would extend the framework's reach, although the official did not provide details about the terms or timing of the country's formal accession.

The official also said Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan had been invited to attend the Group of 20 summit as observers for the first time.

The invitations were presented as part of Washington's broader effort to raise Central Asia's international profile and deepen ties with its governments.

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All five Central Asian presidents have publicly invited US President Donald Trump to visit their countries, the official said, adding that regional governments had welcomed Washington's increased engagement.

Trade and investment are not the only priorities. The United States is also looking to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with some Central Asian countries.

The official did not identify the countries involved or provide details of the initiatives but described security cooperation as an important element of Washington's expanding regional relationships.

The renewed outreach comes as Central Asian governments maintain complex relationships with Russia and China while seeking to broaden their international partnerships.

The official did not describe the initiative as an effort to displace either power, instead emphasizing commercial opportunities, stronger diplomatic contacts, and cooperation on shared security concerns.

Rubio's visit is intended to turn the outcomes of that high-level engagement into practical cooperation.

Following the Uzbekistan visit, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Mumbai and Jamnagar, India, to advance economic and diplomatic ties with New Delhi.