As the United StateS engages with Central Asia, Uzbekistan has expressed eagerness to expand its strategic partnership, highlighting what it calls its “enhanced” political dialogue on bilateral and regional issues and security cooperation.
In a phone conversation in February 2025
with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated U.S. support for the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
They discussed a joint effort through the C5+1 diplomatic platform, launched nearly a decade ago between Washington and five Central Asian republics. Saidov described his talk with Rubio as “candid and productive,” aiming to expand the “strategic partnership between our nations in all spheres without an exception. Building strong bridges between business communities, increasing trade volume in both directions, ensuring prosperous development in Central Asia.”
Uzbekistan’s military is paired with the Mississippi National Guard as part of the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program. In early 2025, at an Uzbekistan Armed Forces Day celebration at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, Uzbek Ambassador Furqat Sidikov said his country’s forces “have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Mississippi National Guard in the best ways.”
“We are a reliable partner of the United States in the region,” the ambassador added.
Since 2012, the partnership has facilitated more than 170 engagements between U.S. and Uzbek Soldiers, strengthening disaster response and readiness. “Uzbekistan’s commitment to regional stability and contributions to counterterrorism efforts and border security demonstrate the power of its armed forces,” Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Bobby Ginn said.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Erin Osborne, speaking at the same gathering, said the partnership was reflected in “capacity-building initiatives and the sharing of intelligence to counter common threats.” The U.S. is committed to working with Uzbekistan “to ensure its stability and sovereignty, as well as the stability and sovereignty of the entire Central Asian region,” she said.