A business forum dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic format will take place on Thursday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of State announced. The event is being held in collaboration with the Kennedy Center.

The conference will gather government officials and business leaders from the United States and the five Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Among the keynote speakers are Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, U.S. Senator Steve Daines, and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is expected to chair a plenary session with representatives of the business community.

According to the Department of State, the meeting will function as an important venue for enhancing economic cooperation, exploring trade and investment opportunities, and developing joint initiatives between the U.S. and the Central Asian region.

Launched in 2015, the C5+1 format serves as a mechanism for dialogue and partnership between the United States and the five Central Asian countries, with a focus on economic growth, regional collaboration, and security issues.

Yazberdi AKYMMAYEV,

teacher of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan.