Turkmenistan will participate in the C5+1 ministerial meeting between the Central Asian countries and the United States, scheduled to take place in Samarkand on 19 October. Ashgabat will present the Turkmen side’s position on key aspects of cooperation within the multilateral platform. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at a government meeting on Saturday, 17 October.
According to the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH), business sessions will be held alongside the meeting of foreign ministers, bringing together government officials and entrepreneurs to discuss digital technologies, education and healthcare, critical minerals, energy and transport infrastructure, agriculture and the textile industry, finance and investment.
Uzbek media reports indicate that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be accompanied by a delegation of more than 200 business executives.
The ministerial meeting will conclude with the adoption of a Joint Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian countries and the US Secretary of State.
Meredov announced that he would hold a bilateral meeting with Rubio, with discussions focusing on opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The two sides will also review preparations for the next Turkmenistan–US political consultations, scheduled to take place in Ashgabat on 3 November this year.
Commenting the foreign minister’s report, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized the considerable importance of the upcoming ministerial meeting between the Central Asian countries and the United States in promoting sustainable economic development across the region. In this connection, the President instructed the DPM to prepare thoroughly for the meeting, which is intended to help expand regional cooperation, and to participate actively in its proceedings.
From September 2025 to September 2026, Turkmenistan and the United States co-chaired the C5+1 Secretariat.
According to a TDH report, during this period Turkmenistan was the first to establish a practice of promoting a specific topic within the framework of the platform, focusing in particular on the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. In addition, during the co-chairmanship of Turkmenistan and the United States, a C5+1 Summit of Heads of State was held in Washington on 6 November 2025. ///nCa, 18 October 2026