Rubio arrives in Samarkand to attend C5 plus 1 summit

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday evening ahead of talks with representatives of five Central Asian countries, as Washington seeks to expand diplomatic, economic and security cooperation with the region.

Rubio will attend a ministerial meeting under the C5+1 format, bringing together the U.S. and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with senior officials from all five countries.

The programme also includes the first round of an expanded strategic partnership dialogue between Rubio and Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Monday.

According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, the discussions will cover political relations, trade, investment and regional and international developments.

President Mirziyoyev is scheduled to attend the Council's meeting in Samarkand on Monday.