C5+1 is the U.S. government’s diplomatic platform for engaging collectively with the five Central Asian republics on shared priorities (economy, energy, security). Participants are the United States plus the five C5 countries: Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Critical Minerals Ministerial is a U.S.-hosted ministerial meeting to strengthen and diversify global critical-minerals supply chains; Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the inaugural meeting on Feb 4, 2026, delivered opening remarks, and held a press availability to advance cooperation with participating countries.
“Critical minerals” are commodities essential to a country’s economy and national security whose supply chains are vulnerable to disruption (examples: lithium, nickel, cobalt, rare earths). They are vital for clean‑energy technologies, batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics and defense systems, so securing diversified supplies supports energy security and economic development.
Christopher Landau is the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (ranked just below the Secretary). The Deputy Secretary helps oversee Department operations, implements U.S. foreign policy, conducts high‑level diplomacy, and represents the Department in bilateral and multilateral meetings.
Bakhtiyor Saidov is Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for conducting Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, representing Uzbekistan in international and diplomatic forums, and managing the Ministry’s bilateral and multilateral relations.
U.S.–Uzbekistan actions to address illegal migration can include: information‑sharing and law‑enforcement cooperation on smuggling networks; border and migration‑management capacity building; consular cooperation and returns processing; and development/ labor‑market programs to reduce economic drivers of irregular migration.
A U.S.–Uzbekistan “strategic partnership” typically involves sustained high‑level political dialogue, security and law‑enforcement cooperation, expanded economic and commercial ties (trade, investment, energy/minerals cooperation), development assistance and people‑to‑people exchanges, and coordination in regional forums like C5+1.