BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 6. The United States
is entering what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called “a new era”
of partnership with Central Asian nations, as he hosted leaders
from the region at the C5+1 Welcome Reception in Washington ahead
of the high-level summit, Trend reports.

Rubio underscored that Washington’s engagement with Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan is grounded in
shared national interests and long-term development goals.

“President Trump has made very clear that he wants American
foreign policy to be rooted in the national interest of the United
States. When the national interests of two countries are aligned,
that’s when foreign policy works best,” Rubio said.

According to the secretary, both sides come together on common
priorities in boosting economic growth and shaking up
diversification.

“From our perspective, we are looking for opportunities for
American innovation and American business and American products to
expand to more markets and more places, because we think that
creates stronger ties between countries,” he said.

Rubio emphasized that Central Asian nations are seeking to
leverage their human and natural resources to build more
diversified and sustainable economies.

“You don’t just want to be a source of energy or a source of
minerals; you want to use that responsibly to build out other
sectors of your economies so that you provide long-term
opportunities for your people and further develop,” he noted.

Rubio said that the alignment of interests between the U.S. and
the five Central Asian countries opens the door for expanded
partnerships in trade, investment, and innovation.

“Our national interests are aligned, and I think tonight’s
reception, tomorrow’s meeting, and some of the things we’re going
to do together in the months and weeks to come are going to further
strengthen that,” he said.

He described the gathering as an important milestone, marking
the first high-level C5+1 meeting in more than a decade.

“It’s been about 10 years since there was a gathering of this
kind, so it’s an exciting opportunity and a new era in our
relationship with Central Asia,” Rubio said.

The secretary concluded by reaffirming Washington’s commitment
to deeper cooperation through diplomacy, economic engagement, and
people-to-people ties.

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