Leaders of the United States and five Central Asian countries held their first summit meeting in the C5+1 dialogue format in New York on Tuesday, according to the official Turkmen media.
The meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly was attended by US President Joe Biden, Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The meeting discussed expanding economic and energy cooperation, ensuring food security, climate change, regional security and ongoing reforms to improve governance and the rule of law.
In remarks after the summit, Biden announced that the US and Central Asian countries are establishing a new business platform to complement the C5+1 diplomatic dialogue and to better connect the countries private sectors for development purposes, according to the White House press service.
Addressing Central Asian Presidents, Biden said, “I want to thank you all for your fruitful conversation today” and added that, “I look forward to working with all of you to do even more in the future.”
Established in 2015, the C5+1 format serves as a multilateral mechanism of interaction between the five Central Asian countries and the US. The dialogue focuses on economic development, regional cooperation, and security issues.