At the international summit held on February 4 in Washington, an official memorandum of understanding was signed between Uzbekistan and the USA. The document was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and the First Deputy Secretary of State of the USA, Christopher Landau.
Uzbekistan has become one of ten important partners of the USA, which also includes the UAE, Peru, and the Philippines, that have concluded similar agreements. Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that the country possesses significant reserves of rare metals and aims to develop its industry in accordance with international standards and principles of sustainable development. He emphasized that this cooperation will not only bring economic benefits but will also serve as an example of responsible partnership.
During the negotiations, including meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, various aspects of bilateral relations were discussed. Among the topics were the expansion of trade ties, deepening cooperation in the "C5+1" format, and joint efforts on issues of illegal migration. Washington expressed interest in further dialogue with Tashkent both in the area of regional security and in matters of energy stability.
These steps are taking place against the backdrop of a global market restructuring. The American administration has confirmed its intentions to diversify supply chains to prevent the use of mineral monopolies as a tool for political pressure. These actions align with Donald Trump's initiative called Project Vault, which envisions the creation of a strategic resource reserve worth nearly $12 billion to protect American technology companies from raw material shortages.
