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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor welcoming him and describing the occasion as a "historic day" ahead of high-level regional engagements focused on trade, investment and strategic cooperation.
Taking to social media platform X, Gor highlighted the upcoming C5+1 Ministerial meeting and the US-Uzbekistan Business Council, which are expected to strengthen commercial ties and expand economic cooperation between Washington and Central Asian countries. "A historic day! Welcome to Samarkand @SecRubio," Gor wrote. "Looking forward to the C5+1 Ministerial and U.S.-Uzbekistan Business Council, which will deepen commercial ties and unlock new opportunities across Central Asia." Secretary Rubio's arrival marks his first official visit to Central Asia, where he is leading a major American delegation comprising more than 200 business executives. https://x.com/USAmbIndia/status/2111903773471674809?s=20 According to Euronews, Rubio is scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries on Monday under the C5+1 framework. Discussions are expected to focus on trade, investment, critical minerals and regional security. According to the US Department of State, Secretary Rubios trip from October 1722 includes stops in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as well as Mumbai and Jamnagar in India. In Uzbekistan, Rubio will join foreign ministers from all five Central Asian republics, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, for the C5+1 Ministerial to discuss strategic cooperation, regional stability, trade, critical minerals, and security. Heading a commercial delegation of over 200 American business leaders, Rubios visit aims to mark a new era of economic partnership between the United States and Central Asia. Following his engagements in Samarkand, Secretary Rubio will travel to India for his second official visit this year. He will meet with senior Indian government officials and business leaders in Mumbai and Jamnagar to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, explore opportunities for enhanced energy cooperation, and promote commercial investment. Rubio departed from Joint Base Andrews late on Saturday (local time) for his visit to Uzbekistan and India. "Just departed for Uzbekistan and India to continue securing the Trump Administration's economic opportunities for our nation," Rubio said ahead of his departure. Meanwhile, a day after US President Donald Trump waived several sanctions related to Russian fuel sales that were to take effect under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, Rubio described India as an important ally whose energy needs must be considered before putting any tariffs or sanctions in place. The law, which has now been paused, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, which include India and China. Rubio, who is scheduled to visit India and, more importantly, Jamnagar, home to one of the world's largest refineries, later this month, said that the US President wants to use a 60-day window to analyse what imposing the tariffs would mean. "These sanctions were not just sanctions on Russia. They include tariffs on a number of countriesIndia, for example, and others. And so I think the president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the U.S. economy," Rubio said. "You've got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio, but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it's hard to pivot from one day to the next. But they're also an important ally and partner of the United States. So we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is," he added. The External Affairs Ministry said that Rubio's visit to India would provide an opportunity for both nations to review bilateral ties and explore avenues to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. During his visit, Rubio is scheduled to meet senior government officials to consolidate the US-India strategic partnership, share perspectives on regional and global dynamics, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation. (ANI)
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