NEW DELHI, November 10. /Dunyo IA/. Professor Ramakant Dwivedi, Director, the India-Central Asia Foundation and Head, Centre for International Studies, MERI Group of Institutions, commented to Dunyo IA on the outcomes of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s working visit to the United States and his participation in the "C5+1" leaders’ meeting:

- The "C5+1" summit in Washington, D.C., on November 6, marks ten years of U.S.–Central Asia engagement and a milestone in regional diplomacy. For the first time, all five Central Asian presidents — from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — are meeting collectively with the President of the USA, Donald Trump.

The format, launched in 2015, provides a unified platform for dialogue on economic cooperation, regional connectivity, and security, ensuring sustained U.S. influence in the region beyond the Afghan context.

The main purpose of "C5+1" is to foster collective problem-solving and diversification in Central Asian foreign policy. It allows the United States to engage the region as a bloc, while providing Central Asian states access to investment, technology and new trade opportunities.

As President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, it has become a key mechanism for building economic resilience and connectivity.

The 2025 summit agenda highlights key regional challenges, including competition over critical minerals, the future of Afghanistan and regional trade routes, environmental threats such as declining water levels in the Caspian Sea, as well as visa restrictions and banking limitations due to sanctions. Central Asian leaders also urged Washington to adopt a pragmatic approach toward engagement with the Taliban to unlock South Asian trade corridors, while former President Trump emphasized access to the region’s mineral resources, which are critical for U.S. industry.

Several concrete initiatives were advanced during the summit. Uzbekistan proposed establishing a permanent "C5+1" Secretariat and emphasized the importance of creating a ministerial-level Coordinating Council on Investment and Trade to institutionalize cooperation. The launch of the "Central Asian Investment Partnership" Fund was also highlighted as a priority to mobilize joint economic projects. President Donald Trump presented a USD 35 billion trade agreement with Uzbekistan, expanding collaboration in the fields of mineral resources, infrastructure, IT, and agriculture.

Other initiatives include the establishment of a Regional Agrotechnology Innovation Partnership and plans for cultural exchanges aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties.

Strategically, this summit reflects the U.S. effort to reinvigorate its Eurasian presence amid shifting global power dynamics. While the Trump administration prioritises trade and energy security over governance issues, the "C5+1"s evolution into a structured dialogue underscores its growing relevance.

It now serves as a strategic bridge, helping Central Asia balance great-power competition while simultaneously strengthening internal cooperation and economic modernization.