US top diplomat Rubio departs this weekend for Central Asia, India
Marco Rubio will begin his Oct 17-22 trip in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, attending a C5+1 ministerial meeting and holding bilateral talks with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to embark on a commercial delegation to Central Asia and India this week. The trip, which will span from October 17th to 22nd, includes stops in Uzbekistan and India, as well as a ministerial meeting with five Central Asian nations. Rubio's agenda includes leading a US commercial delegation composed of over 200 business leaders, as well as engaging in discussions with senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership and explore opportunities for enhanced energy cooperation.
This visit aims to bolster commercial cooperation between the US and Central Asia, following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and the leaders of the five resource-rich Central Asian nations last November. Rubio's previous visit to India in May saw him traveling to four cities over four days, as successive US administrations viewed India as a like-minded partner in a world dominated by China's rise.
However, Trump's approach has shifted, with high tariffs temporarily imposed and increased engagement with both China and India's historic adversary, Pakistan.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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