U.S. in Central Asia

While Beijing holds another presidential summit with Central Asia, Washington continues to discuss how to engage the region.

A recent presidential decree instructs the Foreign Ministry to explore the possibility of a visa-free regime for U.S. citizens, paired with an easing of visa requirements for Uzbek citizens seeking to enter the United States.

As the new administration charts its foreign policy course, a stronger Central Asia-U.S. partnership can serve as a model for mutually beneficial cooperation.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu heads to Uzbekistan and India next. 

Biden met with Central Asian presidents on the sidelines of UNGA to discuss security, economic cooperation, and critical minerals. 

Russian and Chinese influence in the region will never go away. But the United States now has a rare and valuable window of opportunity.

Senators Murphy and Young stress that the time is ripe to drop the “outdated” restrictions of Jackson-Vanik and “redefine” the U.S. relationship with Central Asia.

If Biden does indeed meet with the Central Asian presidents in New York on the sidelines of UNGA it will be with both Russia and China in mind.

The war in Ukraine provided the thematic backdrop for the U.S. secretary of state’s recent trip through Central Asia in a way the U.S. war in Afghanistan once did. 

Antony Blinken's first trip to Central Asia will involve bilateral meetings with all five of his regional counterparts, plus a convening of the C5+1 format.

A Tajik-Uzbek joint military exercise concluded in Uzbekistan just as a U.S.-organized regional military exercise kicked off in Tajikistan.

Without directly commenting, CENTOM told The Diplomat that “plans for shared military environments involving our partners in Kazakhstan are currently underway.”