🔸 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his weekend trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, will be accompanied by representatives from more than 200 American companies; a trip aimed at expanding trade, investment, and security cooperation with Central Asian countries.

🔸 According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an senior State Department official said on Friday, 24 Mehr, that Rubio is scheduled to meet with the foreign ministers of each of the five Central Asian countries. Representatives from companies including Boeing, Citibank, and Franklin Templeton, as well as companies active in the field of critical minerals, are part of the delegation.

🔸 The trip will include bilateral meetings, a joint U.S.-with-the-five Central Asian countries session, and direct talks between American companies and officials and economic entities in the region.

🔸 The senior official said: “For a long time, the United States has focused on the Middle East and the East, and Central Asia, which lies between them, has not received the attention it deserves.”

🔸 According to the official, Washington is also seeking to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism with some of the countries in the region, but he did not name those countries or disclose details of the plans.