Uzbekistan has established a formal institutional framework to deepen trade and investment ties with the United States, signaling a shift toward more structured bilateral economic cooperation. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on November 12, 2025, creating the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council, a joint body designed to coordinate major commercial initiatives and drive strategic partnerships between Ташкent and Washington.
The agreement emerged from high-level discussions during the C5+1 regional summit held in Washington on November 6, 2025, where Uzbekistan alongside Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan engaged with U.S. leadership on regional development priorities.
Investment mobilization through multilateral partnership
At the core of the council’s mandate sits the creation of a dedicated investment fund designed to attract capital flows into Uzbekistan’s economy and finance critical infrastructure projects. The fund will operate with participation from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)—a consortium approach that distributes investment risk while pooling substantial financial resources. This structure positions the fund as a serious instrument for mobilizing the capital required for large-scale regional development.
The council will oversee tariff negotiations aimed at reducing trade barriers and expanding market access for both nations. Starting January 2026, Uzbekistan is removing restrictions on investment operations by local residents in the United States, including transfers for establishing foreign company capital and supporting branch operations. These regulatory changes lower transaction costs and bureaucratic friction for Uzbek businesses seeking to establish or expand U.S. operations, creating new pathways for cross-border commerce.
Regional connectivity as a strategic anchor
A central strategic focus involves financing and coordinating large-scale transport and energy infrastructure projects that physically connect Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Europe. Such connectivity projects—roads, railways, pipelines, and telecommunications networks—form the backbone of intraregional and Eurasian trade. Uzbekistan’s central geography positions it as a logical hub for these corridors, and U.S.-backed investment could accelerate construction and modernization of transport arteries that currently constrain regional trade flows.
Critical minerals as an emerging priority
The council will also coordinate exploration, extraction, and deep processing of critical minerals essential for global supply chains—particularly those feeding battery, semiconductor, and renewable energy manufacturing. Uzbekistan possesses significant mineral reserves, and the framework enables mobilization of U.S. technical expertise and capital to establish processing facilities and integrate Uzbek outputs into global value chains. This creates opportunities for industrial development and export diversification beyond traditional sectors.
The council will be co-chaired by Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Uzbek President’s Administration, on the Uzbek side, and a representative of the U.S. President on the American side. The council will also push forward promotion of products and services from Uzbekistan’s IT Park residents, supporting digital economy exports.
Why this matters for international business
For international companies in construction, logistics, infrastructure development, interior and exterior manufacturing, and trade, this institutional arrangement opens multiple pathways. The investment fund provides financing mechanisms for large projects, reducing capital constraints for infrastructure development—areas where foreign contractors and equipment suppliers typically play central roles. Tariff reduction negotiations could lower input costs and improve market access for building materials, industrial equipment, and components. The emphasis on transport connectivity directly benefits logistics operators and trading houses, as improved corridors reduce transit times and costs. Additionally, critical minerals processing creates demand for industrial equipment, engineering services, and technological expertise. For companies positioned in supply chain integration or regional trade facilitation, the framework signals a medium-to-long-term commitment to regional economic deepening, making investment in local operations and market development more calculable and less risky.
