US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States sees significant opportunities to expand trade and economic cooperation with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries during his visit to Samarkand.
In a video posted on his X account, Rubio said Samarkand had played a vital role in global trade for centuries, adding that the United States wanted to help strengthen the city’s role in regional commerce and expand economic partnerships across Central Asia.
“As the United States expands its partnerships around the world, this is going to be a critical part of the sort of places we’ll be reaching out to,” Rubio said.
He highlighted opportunities for cooperation in commerce, trade, science and technology, adding that hundreds of American businesses had joined the visit to explore potential deals and partnerships.
Rubio said the cooperation could benefit not only the United States and Uzbekistan but also the wider Central Asian region.
Presidential Administration head Saida Mirziyoyeva said she visited Samarkand’s famous Registan Square with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 19.
Speaking to journalists, Rubio noted that Samarkand had been an important centre of international trade for centuries.
“Today, new opportunities are emerging here for cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States,” Mirziyoyeva said.
She added that the fact that Rubio’s first visit to Uzbekistan was taking place in Samarkand carried particular symbolic significance.
The English version of this material was generated with the assistance of AI translation tools and may differ slightly from the original text.
