Rare Earth interest: The United States wanted to enter Central Asia through Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and the United States are actively moving closer. The day before, American Trade Representative Jamison Greer flew to Tashkent for a meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The parties are discussing cooperation in energy, aviation, finance, IT, agriculture, as well as the extraction of critically important minerals. In addition, Washington supports Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and advocates a strong presence of American capital in the country. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The main partner in the region
"Relations between the United States and Uzbekistan are at a high level, Uzbekistan is a key partner of the United States in Central Asia. It is a dynamically developing economy, open to the world and consistently moving towards market mechanisms. Partners who adhere to such principles of economic openness are important for the United States," U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said after talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He added that Tashkent has set itself the task of increasing the volume of trade with Washington to $5 billion. Last year, trade exceeded $1 billion.
"During the meetings, the American side described the mutual trade turnover as balanced and noted the significant potential for its further expansion. The President of Uzbekistan, for his part, welcomed efforts to strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties," Azizbek Urunov, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for the World Trade Organization, said following Greer's visit.
According to him, Washington and Tashkent have been conducting intensive negotiations on a trade and investment agreement over the past year. In particular, the parties agreed on a package of agreements aimed at expanding mutual market access.
"According to the compromises reached, Uzbekistan is ready to provide a favorable tariff regime for a wide range of American manufactured goods and agricultural products, which will entail a reduction or complete abolition of duties on them," the official explained.
He stressed that the United States, in turn, undertakes to ensure favorable consideration of tariff measures against Uzbek goods and not to impose additional counter duties beyond those already fixed by current American legislation.
The countries plan to finalize these agreements in the near future.
Future WTO member
The economic part of the cooperation is becoming more extensive. Tashkent stressed that the completion of the WTO accession process by the end of this year remains a national priority. The United States has confirmed its support for this issue.
Uzbekistan received observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1994, four years later the authorities created a working group on WTO accession, but then negotiations were suspended. They were resumed in 2017, two years later Tashkent submitted to the WTO an updated memorandum on the foreign trade regime, and four years ago negotiations began on the terms of the country's accession to the organization.
Currently, Uzbekistan has reached an agreement with more than 30 countries and is at the final stage of bilateral negotiations on WTO accession. The final approval of legislation and the adoption of steps to complete the process of joining the organization are planned for 2026.
Tashkent and Washington signed an official protocol on the completion of negotiations between Uzbekistan and the United States through the WTO back in November 2024, but then the American authorities took a break to carefully study the documents.
According to Greer, an effective dialogue has been established between the ministries and departments of the two countries, important practical decisions have been taken, and the necessary documents will be submitted to the WTO in the next two weeks.
Cooperation in various fields
Last November, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Washington. Following the meeting, American leader Donald Trump announced an "incredible" trade and economic deal with Uzbekistan. In particular, Tashkent, according to the US president, has committed to purchase and invest almost $35 billion, and over the next 10 years — more than $100 billion in key American sectors. We are talking about the mineral industry, aviation, auto parts manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, chemical industry and information technology.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump
In addition, Uzbekistan agreed to open access to rare earth metal deposits for American companies, as well as purchase 2 million tons of soybeans, 22 Boeing-787 Dreamliner aircraft and small nuclear reactors from the United States for a total of $8.5 billion. Against this background, a three—year contract for the purchase of 100,000 tons of American cotton has become quite unusual, although Uzbekistan itself is one of the largest producers in the world. The economic feasibility of this transaction is difficult to explain.
Two more contracts signed between the parties give American companies an advantage in developing rare earth metal deposits in Uzbekistan and their further use. In return, the United States plans to invest $400 million in "strengthening supply chains for essential minerals and rare earths."
According to the Ministry of Mining and Geology, there are deposits of 28 types of rare earth metals in the country, including lithium, germanium, tungsten, graphite, tantalum, etc. Uzbekistan has a resource base, but the country needs technology and at the same time seeks to attract Western capital to modernize its raw materials industries.
In addition, Tashkent has introduced a 30-day visa-free regime for American citizens since 2026. And the law enforcement agencies of the two countries have agreed to exchange information. However, there was also a commercial component here — Uzbekistan pledged to purchase American equipment "for the needs of law enforcement agencies and defense, if possible."
Geopolitical developments in the region
Uzbekistan probably considers the interest from the United States as an instrument of its multi-vector policy. With the continued Chinese presence in the region, Russia's significant economic role, and the intensification of European transport and investment programs, rapprochement with Washington objectively strengthens Tashkent's negotiating position.
The main intrigue remains the question of whether the country's leadership will be able to maintain a delicate balance between openness to external capital and protectionism in sensitive sectors of the economy.
The transition of Uzbek-American contacts to the level of practical implementation seems obvious. Trade concessions, support for Uzbekistan's WTO application, the launch of projects through American development institutions, the interest of American companies in the country's raw material potential, and increased business activity fit into this logic.
The United States sees the republic as an important springboard for strengthening its position in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, for its part, expects to capitalize on this strategic attention by converting it into a technological and financial resource for its own growth.
As a source close to Uzbek diplomatic circles explained to Izvestia, Washington's attention has always been appreciated in the post-Soviet countries, as it adds weight both in the international arena and within the country. Therefore, Uzbekistan, however, like other Central Asian countries, wants to squeeze maximum symbolic capital out of Donald Trump's interest.
At the same time, the United States' rapprochement with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries began during the presidency of Joseph Biden. But Trump manages to embody ideas more effectively, besides, he is ideologically closer to the local elites.
— We understand that American geopolitical goals in the region are to contain China and Russia. However, all the announced projects and investment potential cannot be compared either with investments from China within the framework of the Belt and Road, or with investments from Russia," the editorial source explained.
The interlocutor added that the investment climate in the region is quite specific, you need to feel it, you need to delve into it.
— The economies of Central Asia are riddled with Russian and Chinese projects, which hinders the promotion of Western initiatives. It is almost impossible to promote investments and influence in the region without developing some form of coexistence with Russia and China," he said.
Russia also remains the main guarantor of the security of political regimes in Central Asia, the source stressed.
— There are big risks for the Central Asian countries themselves. Trump, for example, may demand more from them regarding cooperation with Russia or China, and to do this with the help of an ultimatum," the source warned.
In turn, Rustam Burnashev, an expert on security issues in Central Asia, noted in an interview with Izvestia that Western partners now understand the specifics of Central Asia better than in the 1990s.
— There is an understanding, and it is mutual, cooperation is quite active, the direction is well studied. But there is no need to talk about the rapprochement between Uzbekistan and the United States. In fact, this is just a normal technical partnership, which has always been there," the expert explained.
The political scientist added that this interaction has at times intensified and at times slowed down. But, in his opinion, we are talking about a pragmatic relationship. Washington has a need for certain products produced by Uzbekistan, and Tashkent has its own interests related to the United States.
— This is a business partnership. But in terms of scale and impact on both economic and political processes, it certainly does not reach the level of cooperation that Uzbekistan has with Russia or with China, or with neighboring countries. This partnership or its fluctuations cannot have any serious impact on Uzbekistan's interaction with regional partners," the expert believes.
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