U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Samarkand with his wife on Sunday evening, on his first visit to Central Asia, ahead of a day of diplomatic and business meetings on Monday.
Rubio was met at the airport by Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, and Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. Also present were Sergio Gor, the U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Henick, and officials from Samarkand province.
On Monday, Samarkand will host the second meeting of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council, co-chaired by Mirziyoyeva and Gor, and the C5+1 Ministerial.
Rubio and Saidov will also hold the first round of the Dialogue on the Expanded Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
“We are confident that Monday’s dialogue will be a good opportunity to fill the strategic partnership with new practical initiatives and to jointly identify priority areas for cooperation between Central Asia and the United States,” Saidov said.
Representatives of more than 200 major American companies are traveling to Uzbekistan with Rubio.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has also arrived in Samarkand. He will attend the council meeting and hold talks with Rubio.
