Marco Rubio Confirmed His Plans to Visit Central Asia by the End of 2026
ORIENT | Politics. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced his intention to visit the Central Asian region by the end of 2026 to participate in a ministerial meeting of the C5+1 dialogue platform. The US Secretary of State made this announcement during scheduled hearings in the US Congress.
The Secretary of State's current statement confirms Washington's consistent policy in this area: ORIENT previously reported on the US side's intentions to intensify multilateral cooperation and prepare for the Secretary of State's visit to the region.
During discussions at Senate and Congressional hearings, Marco Rubio also outlined the Trump administration's position on trade and economic relations with the region's states. Specifically, the US executive branch is actively advocating for the US legislature to formally repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. This provision, adopted in 1974 during the Cold War, remains a legal relic of the past and a barrier to full US trade with several Central Asian countries. According to the Secretary of State, removing these regulatory barriers would be mutually beneficial for the development of business partnerships.
This move enjoys broad bipartisan support within the US legislature. Identical bills have already been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate to grant permanent normal trade relations to countries in the region. The initiative's co-sponsors—Senators Steve Daines and Chris Murphy, as well as members of the House of Representatives Carol Miller and Jimmy Panetta—emphasize that the abandonment of outdated rules is long overdue and will bring economic ties into the 21st century.
The expert community in Washington attributes the intensified dialogue to the parties' practical interests in logistics and resources. Support for the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the "Middle Corridor"), as well as cooperation in the extraction of critical minerals needed for the high-tech sectors of the global economy, are cited as key drivers of rapprochement.
The C5+1 diplomatic platform, in operation since 2015, serves as a multilateral mechanism for interaction between the United States and the five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The format is focused on strengthening regional security, expanding trade and investment ties, and jointly addressing issues in energy, transport, and the environment.
