Resource-Rich Region in Focus: US Plans High-Stakes Summit with Central Asia

The United States is turning its focus to the resource-rich region of Central Asia, with a high-stakes presidential summit planned for November 6. The meeting will bring together the leaders of the five “Stans.”
This strategic move, confirmed by the offices of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz presidents, is part of a global scramble for influence in the region. China, Russia, and the EU have all recently hosted similar high-level talks.
The five countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—sit atop vast reserves of natural resources, including hydrocarbons and strategically critical rare earth minerals.
This economic potential, combined with their desire to become a key logistics corridor for East-West trade, has made them a prime target for diplomatic engagement from powers seeking to expand their footprint.
The traditional dominance of Russia has been challenged since its invasion of Ukraine, creating a diplomatic vacuum that the United States and its rivals are now eagerly seeking to fill.