US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Host Central Asia Summit by 2025

A congressional foreign affairs committee in the United States is advocating for President Donald Trump to convene a summit with Central Asian leaders in Washington, D.C. by the end of 2025. Representatives Bill Huizenga, a Republican from Michigan, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat from California, made this recommendation in a letter dated October 20.

The lawmakers believe the meeting would commemorate the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic initiative and underscore the region's significance following recent discussions between President Trump and the leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan during the U.N. General Assembly. These discussions led to significant business agreements, highlighting the potential for strengthened ties.

The C5+1 framework, launched in 2015, includes the United States and the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Huizenga and Kamlager-Dove emphasized that a summit could enhance regional cooperation and set a positive trajectory for U.S. engagement in Central Asia during Trump’s presidency.

Key U.S. interests in the region include securing critical minerals like tungsten and lithium, repealing the outdated Jackson-Vanik amendment, and enhancing counterterrorism efforts against local branches of the Islamic State group. The lawmakers also expressed a desire to foster people-to-people connections through educational exchanges and cultural programs, despite recent cuts to U.S. foreign aid and broadcasting initiatives by the Trump administration.

Analyst Temur Umarov noted that Central Asian nations have found it relatively straightforward to collaborate with Trump's administration, leveraging business interests to capture Washington’s attention. Umarov also mentioned that both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are eager to host C5+1 events in their own capitals, which could potentially see Trump becoming the first American president to visit these Central Asian nations while in office.