US cannot afford to lose ground in Central Asia’s strategic contest

From the report

Central Asia is no longer a distant geopolitical crossroads that Washington can afford to treat as a secondary priority. As competition among major powers intensifies, the region’s energy resources, critical minerals, transport corridors and strategic geography are becoming increasingly important. If the United States wants to protect its economic and geopolitical interests across Eurasia, it must turn diplomatic engagement with Central Asia into a sustained, long-term commitment.

The upcoming meeting between the United States and the five Central Asian republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—under the C5+1 framework presents an important opportunity to advance that objective. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to lead the American delegation to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the ministerial meeting, reinforcing a diplomatic format established in 2015 as Washington’s principal platform for engagement with the region.

This gathering is particularly significant because of its emphasis on commercial diplomacy. Approximately 200 American business representatives are expected to accompany Rubio, seeking to build on economic and investment agreements reached during the C5+1’s 10th-anniversary summit at the White House last year.