Rubio puts Trans-Caspian trade and critical minerals at centre of Central Asia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries agreed to deepen cooperation on transport, critical minerals and security at a C5+1 meeting in Samarkand on Monday. The talks brought together the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In a joint statement, they backed investment in the Trans-Caspian trade route, closer industrial cooperation and simpler customs procedures. The Trans-Caspian route, also known as the Middle Corridor, connects Central Asia with European markets through the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Turkey, bypassing Russia.