Rubio seeks to strengthen US foothold in Central Asia
The US secretary of state arrived in Samarkand to prepare for talks with top officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Uzbek hosts.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarked on a tour of Central Asian nations on Monday, marking an effort to strengthen US ties in the region. Rubio began his journey in Uzbekistan, specifically in the historic city of Samarkand, known as a crossroads between China and the West. The US delegation, comprising 200 business executives, included Rubio and plans to visit Samarkand's old city before engaging in strategic talks with leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Rubio's visit comes at a time when the US is occupied by conflicts with Iran and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with US midterm elections. Despite these challenges, Rubio emphasized the strategic importance of his tour, stating, "This is an important relationship. There are countries you'd like to get to because we want to build our relationships with them."
A senior State Department official added that Rubio is demonstrating US goodwill towards the strengthening partnership across Central Asia, particularly in the energy sector.
Rubio's itinerary includes a stop in India, where he will meet with US Ambassador Sergio Gor, a former Uzbek resident and special envoy for Central Asia. India remains a key trade partner for the Central Asian states, despite Russian influence waning due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Chinese companies have already secured numerous energy deals with the region, including Turkmenistan's natural gas, Kazakhstan's uranium, and Tajikistan's rare earths.
India and the US have reached a provisional agreement aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian products, though legal battles have delayed the finalization of a bilateral trade deal.
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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