OMM Newsroom
Uzbekistan and the United States signed the Artemis Accords on peaceful space exploration on Monday and launched a strategic dialogue mechanism, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov said, according to Anadolu Agency.
Saidov said on Telegram that he held the inaugural meeting of the new dialogue mechanism with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Samarkand. He described its launch as an important step toward the consistent development of bilateral relations.
“The talks focused on implementing agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders, expanding trade and investment, and developing cooperation in energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies,” Saidov said.
After the talks, Saidov and Rubio signed the accords, which set out principles for international cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids. Uzbekistan became the 77th country to sign them, Saidov said.
The agreement would create opportunities to expand cooperation with NASA and other participating countries’ space agencies, train Uzbek specialists and facilitate the transfer of space technologies, he added.
The US State Department congratulated Uzbekistan on joining the accords. It said the two sides discussed ways to “deepen the enhanced strategic partnership” ahead of the G20 Summit in Florida in December, to which Tashkent has been invited.
During the exchange, Rubio welcomed Uzbekistan’s interest in US civil nuclear technology and discussed ways to create commercial opportunities for American enterprises in the country’s space industry.
C5+1 meeting focuses on regional cooperation
Rubio and Saidov also pledged to use the momentum of the C5+1 platform to strengthen economic prosperity and security across Central Asia.
Uzbekistan separately hosted a ministerial meeting in the C5+1 format, bringing together the United States and the five Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The meeting focused on expanding trade and economic cooperation, attracting long-term investment, and developing transport, energy and digital infrastructure, Saidov said.
Particular attention was given to critical minerals. Cooperation in the sector is expected to support industrial capacity, create jobs and open up technological opportunities across the region.
Saidov also proposed establishing regular cooperation between the C5+1 format and the B5+1 business platform, to involve business representatives in identifying priority projects and advancing their implementation.
Uzbekistan is ready to continue practical cooperation in these areas during its co-chairmanship of the C5+1 Secretariat, he said.
