Central Asian and U.S. Leaders Discuss Prospects for Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the C5+1 Summit of Central Asian and U.S. leaders, held at the White House — the official residence of the President of the United States in Washington, D.C.

The summit was chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump. The event was also attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

In his remarks, Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for organizing the C5+1 Summit, which, over the past decade, has proven to be an effective platform for strengthening regional trade, transport, and energy connectivity. The Uzbek leader noted that the current meeting marks a new stage in the development of the strategic dialogue between Central Asia and the United States.

To further advance cooperation within the C5+1 framework, the President of Uzbekistan proposed a number of initiatives, including the establishment of a permanent Secretariat, to be hosted on a rotational basis by the member countries.

President Mirziyoyev also emphasized the importance of creating a Ministerial Coordination Council on Investment and Trade to ensure structured dialogue among government bodies, businesses, and financial institutions. In addition, he proposed exploring the establishment of a “Central Asian Investment Partnership Fund.”

Particular attention was given to prospects for joint work with the United States on implementing major transport, communications, and energy projects linking Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Europe.

To ensure more effective use of natural resources, the President of Uzbekistan suggested creating a Special Committee on the exploration, extraction, and advanced processing of critical minerals, as well as promoting finished products in global supply chains.

He also underscored the importance of modernizing regional agriculture through the adoption of American technologies, putting forward an initiative to establish a Regional Partnership for Agrotechnology Innovation.

To strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties, President Mirziyoyev proposed organizing a joint exhibition of the cultural heritage of Central Asian countries in leading U.S. museums.

Concluding his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited participants to hold the next summit in Samarkand.

Following the meeting, the leaders adopted a series of multilateral documents aimed at further deepening cooperation between the Central Asian states and the United States.