Rubio puts Trans-Caspian trade and critical minerals at centre of Central Asia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries agreed to deepen cooperation on transport, critical minerals and security at a C5+1 meeting in Samarkand on Monday.

The talks brought together the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In a joint statement, they backed investment in the Trans-Caspian trade route, closer industrial cooperation and simpler customs procedures.

A trade route to Europe

The Trans-Caspian route, also known as the Middle Corridor, connects Central Asia with European markets through the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Turkey, bypassing Russia.

"We're going to enhance the infrastructure of the Trans Caspian trade route and give our partners more ways to reach American and Central Asian markets," Rubio said.

Washington also wants to diversify supplies of critical minerals used in energy technologies and advanced manufacturing. The six governments identified mineral processing, energy cooperation and cybersecurity among their priorities, but the joint statement gave no figures for new infrastructure funding.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov proposed cooperation extending from mineral exploration to processing and local industrial clusters. He also called for closer links between the C5+1 diplomatic forum and the B5+1 business platform to involve companies in identifying projects.

The US push comes as the five Central Asian states maintain extensive economic ties with Russia and China. Speaking separately to Euronews in Samarkand, Rubio said Washington was seeking competition, not exclusivity.

"This is not about coming here to say, stop talking to somebody else or stop working with some other country," he told Euronews.

Bilateral talks with the five ministers

Rubio also held separate meetings with each of his Central Asian counterparts.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi discussed trade, energy, critical minerals and technology with Rubio. Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said the US Secretary of State expressed interest in visiting the country after the G20 summit in Miami in December, although no date was announced.

The US State Department said they also discussed Kazakhstan's commitment to join the Abraham Accords, a US-backed framework for normalising relations with Israel.

Rubio also met Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev to discuss bilateral cooperation. Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin raised trade, investment and regional security, according to his ministry.

Rubio held talks with Turkmenistan's Rashid Meredov, with the two countries preparing another round of political consultations in Ashgabat in November.

Uzbekistan and the US held the first session of their Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue, covering trade, energy, technology and security. Following the talks, Foreign Minister Saidov signed the Artemis Accords in Rubio's presence, making Uzbekistan the 77th country to join the international framework for peaceful space exploration.