HOUSTON, TX – Ahead of Uzbekistan’s World Cup match against Portugal in Houston, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, hosted “Beyond the Pitch: Winning in Central Asia through Trade, Assistance, and Diplomacy.”  

Building on the momentum of the C5+1 White House Summit, the event celebrated the flourishing ties between the United States and the Central Asian countries that make up the C5 – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan – and explored opportunities in critical minerals, artificial intelligence, transportation, tourism, and agribusiness. 

Featured speakers included Hon. David L. Fogel, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Global Markets; Hon. Furqat Sidikov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States; Hon. Edil Baisalov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States; Mr. Rauan Tleulin, Counsel Generalof the Republic of Kazakhstan in New York; Steve Morrissey, Vice President of Regulatory and Policy at United Airlines and USGLC Board Member; Richard Parker, Senior Policy Advisor at USGLC; and Jim Richardson, National Outreach Director at USGLC. 

“I think this emergence of Uzbekistan on the soccer scene as a world-class team playing in the World Cup is sort of a microcosm for what’s happening for the entire C5 region. There is no doubt…that the C5 region is front and center in everyone’s mind,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce David L. Fogel. He added that international assistance programs in the region are part of the U.S. critical minerals strategy: “We’re not just there to take the minerals out—we want to have a long-term presence with processing of the minerals, and then there’s workforce development. You need to train these young workers on how to do this right in all aspects of the mining. And then there’s the rule of law and regulations that underlie all of this—and that’s where we have resources in the government.” 

Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States Furqat Sidikov touched on the flourishing U.S.-Uzbek relationship, “It’s about the strategic partnership and friendship, because the U.S. really would love to see Uzbekistan as a strong, independent sovereignty, and with a strong economic partner, and we think that there will be an equal partnership.” 

Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States Edil Baisalov discussed the strategic importance of the C5+1 partnership, “We are currently coming together, saying that if your neighbor prospers, you prosper… thanks to business relationships, we will grow much closer and much more knowledgeable about each other, and there will be more trust and celebration of each other’s cultures.” 

“Tomorrow’s match in Houston is another reminder that Central Asia is becoming increasingly visible on the global stage,” said Counsel General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in New York Mr. Rauan Tleulin. “We have all the ingredients at the table to elevate our partnership on the next level.” 

“Sports are the reason a lot of us are excited this week, with all the excitement about the World Cup. It’s a powerful reminder that international partnerships bring us together,” said Vice President of Regulatory and Policy at United Airlines and USGLC Board Member Steve Morrissey. “United Airlines, for example, is a U.S. entity by law… but we operate around the globe based on bilateralism, multilateralism, the concept of openness, and governments have to come together and allow that activity to occur.” 

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