US Secretary of State visits Uzbekistan with a business mission for the first time in history

The ongoing visit of the US Secretary of State to Uzbekistan opens a new, turning-point page in the history of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Since the early years of independence, 7 heads of the US foreign policy department have paid a total of 8 official visits to our country, almost all of which focused on classic political missions such as geopolitics, military security, and human rights. This visit, however, stands out fundamentally as it is aimed for the first time in the history of Uzbekistan purely at expanding economic interests, investment, and business cooperation.

From Baker to Blinken: Why did US Secretaries of State come?

Looking back, we can see that high-ranking Washington officials visited our country each time during certain global and regional political crises:

• James Baker (February 15–16, 1992, Tashkent and Samarkand): This was the first introductory mission aimed at establishing initial diplomatic relations with young independent states, studying nuclear security, and regional stability.

• Madeleine Albright (April 16–19, 2000, Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara): Security negotiations were held at a time when the Taliban were growing stronger in Afghanistan and the threat of religious extremism was increasing in Central Asia.

• Colin Powell (December 7–8, 2001, Tashkent): Following the famous September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, this was a political-military visit carried out to strengthen strategic agreements regarding counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) military base.

• Hillary Clinton (December 2, 2010 and October 22, 2011, Tashkent): Transporting cargo to Afghanistan via the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), transit routes, and security issues were the main topics.

• John Kerry (November 1, 2015, Samarkand): The new diplomatic platform of Central Asian states and US foreign ministers — the "C5+1" format — was officially founded right in Samarkand.

• Mike Pompeo (February 2–3, 2020, Tashkent): A dialogue was held to present the new US strategy for Central Asia, support regional integration, and discuss political reforms.

• Antony Blinken (February 28 – March 1, 2023, Tashkent): This was dedicated to compliance with international sanctions against Russia against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and maintaining the geopolitical balance of the region's countries.

From politics to practical interest: The essence of the new paradigm

Unlike all previous trips, the main agenda of this visit consists not just of political statements, but of concrete economic projects:

• "C5+1" format and business alliance: Washington now views Central Asia not merely from the angle of geopolitical security, but as an important investment arena;

• Critical raw materials and energy: Extensive involvement of American investors is envisaged in rare earth elements of strategic importance to the US industry, digital technologies, renewable energy, and infrastructure;

• Results of Uzbekistan's reforms: This change demonstrates that Uzbekistan's foreign policy has fully shifted away from a security-only agenda toward open economic partnership and attracting major international business.

Such a pragmatic step in Washington-Tashkent relations is expected to serve as a significant increase in the flow of direct US investment into the region's economy.