Thirty-five years after gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan is looking to become a critical minerals, transport, and technology hub.

Editor’s Note: On August 31, Center for the National Interest Senior Fellow Andrew Kuchins interviewed the ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Furqat Sidikov, to discuss the US-Uzbek relations, Uzbekistan’s critical minerals strategy, its relationship with Afghanistan, and its approach to the upcoming G20 and C5+1 summits. The following conversation has been edited for style and clarity. 

Andrew Kuchins (AK): Let me start by congratulating you and your country on 35 years of independence, marked on September 1 tomorrow. Please share your thoughts about the significance of this landmark, which also coincides with the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America.

Furqat Sidikov (FS): Thank you for your kind words. We deeply appreciate the congratulations from our American friends. Let me also warmly congratulate the American people on the 250th anniversary of their independence. It is a special year for both our nations.

For Uzbekistan, 35 years of independence represent the freedom to shape our own future. This anniversary is an opportunity to honor our people’s achievements and look ahead with confidence.

Today, we speak of a “New Uzbekistan” because our country is undergoing a profound transformation. Under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s leadership, Uzbekistan has become more open, dynamic, and connected to the world. Reforms are creating greater opportunities for entrepreneurs, expanding access to education, and improving public services. Our young people bring energy, talent, and ambition to this process.

Uzbekistan is increasingly a driving force for development and cooperation in Central Asia. We are strengthening friendships with our neighbors, building new connections, and working together on shared challenges. There is still much to do, but our direction is clear: a prosperous country where development brings meaningful improvements to people’s lives.

Turning to the United States, American support for Uzbekistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity has always been a central pillar of our partnership. Since we established diplomatic relations on February 19, 1992, that commitment has carried lasting significance for our country.

We deeply appreciate how much our relationship has grown in both depth and scope in recent years. Today, we enjoy an enhanced strategic partnership. President Mirziyoyev and President Donald Trump have met several times and held several telephone conversations. Their direct dialogue has strengthened trust and provided clear direction for our cooperation.

That strong political foundation is supporting a broader economic partnership. Cooperation is expanding in investment, energy, critical minerals, technology, and education.

There is also a special cultural expression of this friendship. To mark America’s anniversary, President Mirziyoyev has presented two traditional Uzbek gazebos, known as aywans, as a gift to the president and people of the United States. Beautifully handcrafted by Uzbek artisans, they will be installed in the new National Garden of American Heroes. They will stand as a lasting symbol of friendship and mutual support between our nations, sharing a part of Uzbekistan’s culture and hospitality with American visitors.

As we celebrate independence, we look forward to building on this trust and creating lasting opportunities for both our peoples.

AK: The past year, maybe starting with the historic C5+1 meeting in Washington in November last year, has seen tremendous progress in US-Uzbek bilateral relations. What has made this such a successful year?

FS: I would point to three things: strong political commitment, growing mutual economic interests, and practical follow-through.

First, President Mirziyoyev and President Trump have given this relationship clear direction. Their meetings in New York and later at the White House in November, followed by continued telephone conversations, have strengthened trust and maintained momentum.

During these exchanges, the presidents discussed an ambitious commercial package worth $105 billion over 10 years. The nearer-term commitments involve approximately $35 billion in purchases and investments. These are commitments to be implemented step by step, and both governments are working to translate them into concrete results.

Second, Uzbekistan’s reforms and openness have created more opportunities for American businesses. Our interests increasingly meet in aviation, critical minerals, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and technology. Mutual benefit is the foundation: Uzbekistan gains investment, expertise, and new opportunities, while American companies gain customers and long-term partners.

Third, we are building mechanisms to support implementation. The US-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council, launched in Washington in April, provides a forum for our governments and businesses to identify opportunities and address obstacles.

Another important step was the joint investment platform launched during the Tashkent International Investment Forum in June. As Uzbekistan’s investment minister explained, the financing framework brings together the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Export-Import Bank (EXIM) on the American side and Uzbekistan’s Fund for Reconstruction and Development on our side. It is intended to support industrial and infrastructure projects and give business partnerships practical financial backing. 

We are also making it easier for Americans to visit Uzbekistan through visa-free travel, supporting tourism, business contacts, and friendships between our people.

There is a broader change as well: Washington increasingly sees Uzbekistan and Central Asia as partners with their own priorities and opportunities. Our responsibility now is to sustain this trust and turn commitments into lasting results.

AK: As a former collegiate and then club soccer player, I cannot avoid asking you about the importance of Uzbekistan qualifying for the World Cup this year for the first time and being able to play in the United States? 

FS: This was a moment of great pride for Uzbekistan. Reaching the World Cup for the first time fulfilled a dream shared by generations of players and supporters. What made the experience especially meaningful was the support from across Central Asia. In the stadiums, we saw our compatriots standing alongside supporters from neighboring countries, cheering for Uzbekistan together. It felt like a shared regional celebration. We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported our team.

We also appreciated the warmth and interest of American fans. Football gave many Americans a reason to discover Uzbekistan for the first time. We thank the United States for hosting this important event, together with Canada and Mexico, and for welcoming our players and supporters.

The attention extended beyond the stadiums. According to the Tourism Committee, one measure of Google search interest linked to Uzbekistan’s World Cup participation rose by 450 percent. The accompanying tourism campaign generated more than 1.07 billion media impressions. This gave Uzbekistan valuable international exposure and an opportunity to attract future visitors. 

Our sporting achievements also extend beyond football, including success in boxing and judo. Most recently, our sportsmen became world champions in the lightweight men’s double sculls, winning Uzbekistan’s first senior World Rowing Championships gold medal. Their achievement is another source of pride and inspiration for young athletes. 

We hope people who discover Uzbekistan through sport will come to see Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, experience our hospitality, and get to know our people.

For us, the World Cup was more than a sporting milestone. It brought people together and opened the door to new friendships.

AK: For the first time, US-Uzbek commercial relations are really taking off now. How important is the growth of private sector ties between our two countries for Tashkent? What measures is Uzbekistan taking to improve its investment environment, and where does WTO accession fit into this agenda?

FS: Private sector ties are essential to the future of our partnership. Governments can open doors, but businesses create jobs, introduce technologies, and build lasting commercial relationships.

President Mirziyoyev’s reforms have helped strengthen a new generation of Uzbek entrepreneurs, giving private businesses a greater role in our economy. In March last year, the president noted that small and medium-sized enterprises employed 10.5 million people. This shows how important entrepreneurship has become for livelihoods across Uzbekistan.

We are working to make the investment environment more open and predictable by reducing state ownership, expanding opportunities for private investment, and strengthening investor protection. We are also developing the Tashkent International Financial Centre, with a framework based on English common law and plans for an independent commercial court. Investors need clear rules and reliable ways to resolve disputes.

These changes are helping Uzbekistan develop into an important IT hub in Central Asia. Our companies provide software, digital solutions, and outsourcing services to international customers, including American businesses. IT Park residents’ service exports reached $392.5 million in the first half of this year, an increase over the same period last year. This is their worldwide export total, with the United States an important market.

Importantly, investment is beginning to move in both directions. One of Uzbekistan’s leading industrial companies has begun construction of a manufacturing facility in Kentucky, with an announced overall investment plan of approximately $600 million. This is a concrete example of Uzbek businesses expanding internationally and creating opportunities in the United States.

WTO accession is central to our reform agenda. It supports clearer trade rules, simpler procedures, and fairer competition. For American businesses, it should bring greater predictability when exporting to Uzbekistan or investing in local production.

Our goal remains to complete accession this year, while resolving the outstanding issues with WTO members. Membership matters, but consistently implementing our commitments will be equally important.

Ultimately, we want a partnership in which businesses from both countries can invest, grow, and succeed together.

AK: The United States faces large challenges to diversify its sources of critical minerals both for commercial and defense high technology production. Uzbekistan has extensive reserves that can help meet these needs, and diversification of consumers is good business for Tashkent as well. How is this aspect of the partnership developing?

FS: This is becoming an important area of our partnership because our interests complement each other. The United States wants more reliable and diverse sources of critical minerals. Uzbekistan wants to develop its resources, attract advanced technology, and expand its export markets.

Our national program, announced last year, includes 76 projects with planned investment of $2.6 billion. We see significant opportunities for American companies to participate in this broader development effort. 

Our goal goes beyond exporting raw materials. We want to expand processing and manufacturing in Uzbekistan, create skilled jobs, and supply materials needed by modern industries. American technology, expertise, and investment can make an important contribution.

Copper provides a concrete example. At the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, the first stage of the MOF-3 copper processing plant was launched this March, incorporating technologies from leading suppliers, including FLSmidth. Further expansion is planned through MOF-4. These projects support our national goal of increasing annual copper production to 500,000 tonnes by 2030, strengthening Uzbekistan’s role in international supply chains. 

Developing our specialists is equally important. We are working with the Colorado School of Mines on a Center of Excellence in geology, mining, and critical minerals at the University of Geological Sciences in Tashkent. This cooperation brings together joint research, modern exploration and processing technologies, and exchanges for students and specialists. We want our young people to gain the knowledge and practical skills needed to develop these resources responsibly. 

We are also strengthening the framework for bilateral cooperation. This February, our governments signed a memorandum on critical mineral supply chains, covering mining and processing. The joint investment platform announced by DFC in June includes critical minerals among its priorities and provides another mechanism to help mobilize investment. 

Our priority now is to turn these agreements into commercially sound projects, supported by financing, reliable transport, and strong environmental and safety standards.

We want American companies to become long-term partners in developing this industry. For Uzbekistan, that means skilled jobs, greater processing capacity, and wider export markets. For the United States, it means additional, reliable sources of essential materials. This gives both sides a clear interest in making the partnership succeed.

AK: There are two major events in the final four months of this year for US-Central Asia relations: first, the C-5+1 Foreign Ministerial meeting in Samarkand, and second, the G-20 in Florida where Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will be participating. What are you working on accomplishing in conjunction with these two key events?

FS: Both meetings are important opportunities to advance practical cooperation. They also reflect the attention the US administration is giving to Central Asia. We are preparing carefully, but our work goes beyond the events themselves.

The close relationship between President Mirziyoyev and President Trump has given our partnership strong momentum. It has helped bring our businesses and people closer together. It has also encouraged us to establish new mechanisms that give cooperation a more lasting foundation, including the US-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council and the joint investment platform. Our partnership is becoming more mature, better organized, and increasingly focused on concrete results.

In Samarkand, we want to strengthen cooperation on trade, transport, energy, and regional security. Uzbekistan assumes the C5+1 co-chairmanship in September, and our priority will be to make this format deliver practical benefits. We will work closely with the United States and all our Central Asian partners.

For the G20, we are focused on advancing our bilateral economic agenda and contributing to discussions on growth and innovation. In June, the reported portfolio of projects being implemented in Uzbekistan with American companies included 77 projects worth $35 billion. We want to help these projects move forward and identify new opportunities. 

Infrastructure is one priority. The new Tashkent International Airport is designed to serve 20 million passengers annually. We are working with American financial institutions to advance cooperation on major projects like this. 

At the same time, our embassy is organizing visits by regional governors to the United States to build direct business relationships. We will continue working with business associations in both countries to connect companies and address practical concerns.

We also plan to expand our consular presence. Additional consulates general would help us better serve our compatriots and develop business ties across more American states.

Cultural and educational cooperation remains an important part of our agenda. Under Secretary [Sarah] Rogers’s visit to Uzbekistan in June provided an opportunity to deepen these ties. We want to build on that through exchanges and partnerships between institutions.

These developments give us confidence in the future of our relationship. Our task is to ensure that the trust between our presidents translates into lasting partnerships between our institutions, businesses, and people.

AK: On September 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the annual SCO meeting. Russian and Chinese leaders are in Central Asia at least once a year. No sitting US president has ever visited. A presidential visit is long overdue. Is this one of Uzbekistan’s major goals for 2027, and how optimistic are you that it will happen?

FS: Yes, welcoming a US president to Uzbekistan is an important goal for us. We believe the development of our partnership provides a strong foundation for such a visit.

President Mirziyoyev personally invited President Trump during their meetings in New York and Washington. He renewed that invitation during their telephone conversation on August 7. Uzbekistan would warmly welcome President Trump, and we will continue working closely with the US administration on this.

We are hopeful about the possibility of a visit in 2027. At the same time, the timing must be agreed by both sides, and we should not get ahead of those discussions. There is no confirmed date to announce.

Such a visit would be historic as the first by a sitting American president. But its importance would go well beyond symbolism. It would provide an opportunity to advance concrete cooperation in investment, energy, technology, education, and regional connectivity.

We see this as a natural next step in our relationship with the United States. Uzbekistan values its partnerships with its neighbors and other major countries, and we want our American partnership to develop on its own strong foundation of trust and mutual benefit.

A visit would also give the American president an opportunity to see Uzbekistan’s transformation firsthand and experience the warmth of our people. We would want it to leave a lasting legacy through practical agreements and stronger connections between our societies.

So yes, we are optimistic, and we are ready to do the work needed to make such a visit meaningful for both countries.

AK: Uzbekistan has been a leading regional country constructively engaging Afghanistan. Could you discuss Tashkent’s approach to its neighbor?

FS: Afghanistan is our close neighbor, and Uzbekistan’s position is to pursue constructive engagement and support its peaceful development. In his address marking the anniversary of our independence, President Mirziyoyev reaffirmed that Uzbekistan would continue this constructive policy.

We believe Afghanistan must not be isolated. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, our president emphasized that helping the Afghan people achieve a peaceful and stable life requires a united international effort.

An important part of this approach is connecting Afghanistan with the wider region. At the Central Asian leaders’ Consultative Meeting in November 2025, President Mirziyoyev called for Afghanistan’s integration into regional infrastructure, energy, and transport projects. Uzbekistan has also proposed a dedicated UN resolution on developing international transport and energy corridors through Afghan territory.

Humanitarian assistance is another practical part of our policy. For example, on May 25 this year, Uzbekistan delivered nearly 215 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food and other essential supplies. According to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this was the second humanitarian shipment sent to the Afghan people in 2026. The assistance was intended for communities affected by severe flooding in northern Afghanistan. 

We also help facilitate international relief efforts. The international logistics hub in Termez, established in 2022 at our president’s initiative, supports humanitarian deliveries to Afghanistan and other countries. In 2025, it joined the UN Refugee Agency’s global stockpile network. Dialogue on shared natural resources is equally important. In April 2026, President Mirziyoyev called for stronger constructive engagement with Afghanistan on climate, ecology, agriculture, and water management. 

These priorities define our approach: preventing isolation, supporting the Afghan people, and involving Afghanistan in practical regional cooperation.

About the Authors: Furqat Sidikov and Andrew Kuchins

Ambassador Furqat Sidikov is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States of America. He previously served as Uzbekistan’s first deputy minister of foreign affairs, where he supervised bilateral cooperation with countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as ambassador to Pakistan.

Andrew C. Kuchins is a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest and an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He has served as president of the American University of Central Asia and the director of the Carnegie Moscow Center as well as the Russia and Eurasia Programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is the author or editor of seven books and published columns for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many other media outlets.

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