The U.S. Department of State announced on Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will embark on a five‑day trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 17, then to Mumbai and Jamnagar, India, from October 18‑22.
Rubio’s itinerary follows his May visit to New Delhi, where he met Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and participated in a Quad foreign‑ministerial meeting. In Samarkand, he will attend the C5 Ministerial to highlight strategic cooperation among Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The trip’s centerpiece is Jamnagar, home to Reliance Industries’ 1.4‑million‑barrel‑per‑day refinery, the world’s largest single‑site facility. Rubio will meet with refinery executives to discuss a potential U.S. stake and align with President Trump’s March announcement of a $300 billion refinery project in Brownsville, Texas.
A commercial delegation of more than 200 U.S. business leaders will join Rubio, signaling a new era of U.S.–Central Asian trade ties.
Local Jamnagar worker Ramesh Kumar, who has been with the refinery for 12 years, said he hopes the talks will bring additional jobs and training programs. The U.S. is expected to sign agreements on renewable‑energy projects and secure a partnership that could reshape the region’s energy landscape.