Rubio meets C5 FMs in Uzbekistan, pushes economic ties. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the C5+1 Ministerial in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, meeting foreign ministers of all five Central Asian republics. He highlighted cooperation in critical minerals, energy, transportation, and technology, and separately met Kazakh and Uzbek FMs to reaffirm bilateral economic and security commitments. Over 300 business leaders participated in related engagements.