BAKU, November 2. /Dunyo IA/.  Azerbaijani expert in the field of political geography and geoeconomics, Head of the “South Caucasus” Club of Political Scientists Ilgar Velizadeh, in an interview with Dunyo IA, commented on the outcomes of the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Uzbekistan, which took place on October 18–20^th:

- Visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Samarkand marked Washington's desire to strengthen relations with Uzbekistan, paying special attention to investments, industrial cooperation and regional security.

One of the main results was the agreements worth $12 billion in the fields of energy, aviation, mining industry, transport, digitalization and finance. However, the further development of cooperation will depend on the implementation of the agreements, attracting financing and business participation.

Interest of the United States in Uzbekistan is linked not only to its economic potential but also to its strategic position in Central Asia. Washington seeks to expand its participation in regional economic processes, paying increasing attention to trade routes, energy and critical minerals, rather than solely to issues related to Afghanistan.

Under the administration of Donald Trump, emphasis on concrete commercial projects in bilateral relations has intensified.

According to Tashkent's data, the volume of mutual trade grew from $215 million in 2017 to approximately 1 billion dollars in 2025. For the period of January–August 2026, the indicator reached $810.4 million and as of the beginning of September, 377 enterprises with American capital were operating in Uzbekistan.

American financial institutions EXIM and DFC play an important role in the development of cooperation, being capable of supporting projects in energy, the mining sector and infrastructure. Cooperation in the field of critical minerals represents a separate area of interest, as the United States seeks to diversify supply chains, while Uzbekistan aims to develop raw material processing and its own domestic industry.

Development of transport routes, including the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea and pathways to South Asia, is closely linked to this direction. Their expansion will allow Uzbekistan to diversify transit routes, while providing American companies with additional opportunities to operate in regional markets.

At the same time, closer ties with Washington do not mean Tashkent is abandoning its multi-vector foreign policy. Marco Rubio's statement that the United States does not demand the termination of cooperation with other countries reflects an approach wherein Washington expects to strengthen its positions through competitive offers from American business.

In addition to the economy, the parties are developing interaction in the field of security. At the first meeting of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue on October 19^th, the sides discussed the fight against terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration.