U.S. officials traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from July 20 to July 23 to discuss economic and security cooperation with representatives from the five Central Asian republics.
The U.S. State Department said in a July 23 statement that the meetings took place under the so-called C5+1 format which besides the United States groups Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The C5+1 is the primary regional diplomatic platform through which the United States and the five Central Asian countries cooperate in economic integration, environmental protection, and security.
Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh led the U.S. delegation to the Economic Connectivity Working Group on July 20, in the Kazakh city of Almaty, the statement said.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asia Henry Ensher led the U.S. delegation to the Environment Working Group, held also in Almaty, which presented the Central Asian Regional Electricity Market (CAREM) project to the C5+1.
Ensher also led the U.S. delegation to the Security Working Group on July 23, in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, during which participants discussed counterterrorism measures and border security cooperation in the region, as well as efforts to counter violent extremism.
