Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On October 19, an opening Welcome & Orientation session was held in Samarkand as part of the visit of a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marking the launch of the C5+1 business program.

Organized with the participation of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, the event brought together representatives of governments, relevant agencies, leading international companies, and business communities from Central Asia and the United States.

Opening the session, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov welcomed the guests to Samarkand and highlighted the growing scale of economic cooperation between Central Asia and the United States. The business program brings together representatives of more than 400 companies, including over 100 American companies, 100 companies from other Central Asian countries, and 200 leading enterprises from Uzbekistan. The Minister emphasized the importance of advancing joint investment projects, introducing cutting-edge technologies, and expanding industrial cooperation.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Vogel also delivered welcoming remarks. Senior executives of leading American companies — Rafael Santana (Wabtec), Jenny Johnson (Franklin Templeton), Mark Kristoff (Traxys), and Devesh Sharma (Aquatech) — shared their perspectives on business opportunities across the region.

Participants were introduced to the program covering six sectoral areas: digital technologies; education and healthcare; mineral resources and mining; energy and transport infrastructure; agriculture and textiles; and finance and investment.

Alongside the thematic sessions, direct B2B and B2G meetings are scheduled, providing companies and government institutions with opportunities to discuss investment proposals, technological cooperation, and conditions for implementing joint projects.

The opening session outlined the key priorities of the upcoming business program: expanding trade, attracting investment, and building long-term partnerships between Central Asian countries and the United States.