Rubio seeks to expand Central Asia ties with pomp-filled Uzbekistan visit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with counterparts from five Central Asian nations in Uzbekistan on Monday, a ‌trip that resulted in relatively minor public deliverables, but which US officials have presented as an opportunity to expand American soft power.
Rubio, who arrived in the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand on Sunday night, met in the morning with the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In the evening, he dined with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and participated in a US-Uzbekistan business council event.