U.S. Commerce Department Announces Significant Economic Deals with Central asia at C5+1 Summit
At the recent C5+1 Summit, the U.S. Department of Commerce, led by Under Secretary William Kimmitt, announced a series of new economic agreements and partnerships designed to deepen economic ties between the united States and the five Central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The announcements highlight a commitment to increased trade, investment, and innovation across the region.
Kazakhstan saw agreements focused on transportation and finance. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the U.S. Department of Transportation and Kazakhstan Railways to facilitate the movement of goods along the Trans-Caspian corridor. Additionally, Citigroup and Aiyl Bank entered into a cooperation agreement, and Oppenheimer & Co. will underwrite a $300 million five-year senior unsecured bond for Aiyl Bank, building on their previous work with a $700 million sovereign bond issuance.
Tajikistan emerged as a hub for technology and aviation deals. Somon Air committed to ordering up to 4 Boeing 787s and 10 737 MAX jets, marking the airline’s first wide-body purchase and plans to launch new intercontinental routes. In the digital space, transparent Earth LLC will collaborate with Avesto Group on a $30 million MOU to develop a national digital-governance platform. Sixth Grain Inc. signed a preliminary agreement with Marmari Tajikistan for a $2.43 million digital platform for agricultural lands. Perplexity AI joined the Central Asia AI Consortium,based in Tajikistan’s planned AI Free Zone,aiming to expand it’s regional service and generate multimillion-dollar annual revenue. A significant infrastructure agreement was also reached between Super Micro (California) and the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan (MINTECH) for a sovereign green AI computing infrastructure powered by 1 GW of hydropower by 2030. Oppenheimer & Co.also signed an MOU with the Ministry of Industry,details of which were not disclosed.
Uzbekistan focused on aviation and agriculture. Uzbekistan Airways intends to finalize an order for eight additional 787 Dreamliners, bringing its total order to 22 wide-body jets to support international expansion. A $300 million agricultural-machinery agreement was reached between John Deere and the Government of Uzbekistan, with half of the machinery to be produced in the U.S.
Turkmenistan,while not signing any new deals at the summit,was acknowledged as an active C5 partner,with expectations for future collaboration in energy and infrastructure.
Under Secretary Kimmitt emphasized the U.S. commitment to these partnerships, stating the announcements demonstrated a “clear demonstration of the United States commitment to deepening economic ties.” He highlighted the Department of Commerce’s role in advancing U.S. commercial interests and the importance of interagency coordination – including the State Department, U.S. Trade Representative, Export-Import bank, and International Development Finance corporation – to support American businesses. kimmitt concluded by reaffirming the U.S.’s dedication to deepening technical collaboration, advancing energy diversification, and expanding digital transformation to foster regional stability and prosperity, positioning the United states as the “partner of choice” for the C5 nations.
