Uzbekistan Secures $12 Billion in U.S. Trade Agreements

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted a series of high-level diplomatic meetings in Samarkand on October 19, 2026, to strengthen Uzbekistan's strategic ties with the United States and Turkmenistan.

In talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived with a delegation of over 200 business executives, Uzbekistan and the United States secured trade and investment agreements worth $12 billion. This agreement followed the second meeting of the U.S.-Uzbek Business and Investment Council and coincided with a 35% increase in bilateral trade turnover since the start of 2026. The two nations launched the Uzbekistan-U.S. Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue and signed the Artemis Accords for peaceful space exploration. Cooperation efforts now span civil aviation, mining, energy, and digitalization, while both nations are accelerating negotiations on a Reciprocal Trade & Investment Framework.

Beyond economic ties, Rubio and Mirziyoyev discussed security cooperation to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration. The visit also included the C5+1 Ministerial meeting involving five Central Asian republics. Following these engagements, Secretary Rubio is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar, India.

Separately, Mirziyoyev met with Turkmenistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov to review the High Council for Strategic Partnership. The leaders noted steady growth in freight volumes and trade turnover, specifically highlighting the Shavat – Dashoguz cross-border trade zone. They also coordinated preparations for the third Forum of Regions and the Days of Culture and Cinema of Uzbekistan to be held in Turkmenistan.