US Envoy Courts Central Asia on Sidelines of SCO Summit
By Eurasianet - Sep 02, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT
- U.S. special envoy Sergio Gor and Senator Steve Daines met Central Asian presidents in Bishkek while SCO leaders were gathering for their September 1 summit.
- Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan publicly emphasized stronger U.S. relations and continued cooperation through the C5+1 framework.
- The SCO’s Bishkek Declaration condemned U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran, while Iran promoted mechanisms designed to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar.
Two high-level US Trump administration emissaries crashed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, holding talks with top Central Asian leaders and disrupting any appearance of unity among the gathering’s attendees.
Leading participants in the SCO summit, including top officials from China, Russia and Iran, sought to strengthen what amounts to an anti-US coalition dedicated to diminishing Washington’s global economic influence. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, for example, pushed a plan to “de-dollarize” the global economy.
The summiteers adopted a communique on September 1 that in part assailed the United States for its ongoing military and economic campaign against Iran, saying US actions “violate the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter and create serious risks to international peace, security and stability.”
On August 31, Trump administration special envoy Sergio Gor, accompanied by retiring Republican Senator Steve Daines, a longtime booster of closer US ties to Central Asian states, popped up in Bishkek, tossing some diplomatic sand into the SCO engine. They were not invited and did not participate in any SCO events. But amid the summit’s proceedings, they held separate meetings with the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
A statement issued by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s press service undermined the SCO summit’s vibe by hailing US-Uzbek relations, and noting “the positive momentum in political dialogue and inter-parliamentary and inter-regional contacts, as well as the consistent expansion of trade, economic, and investment cooperation.”
The statement also said the Uzbek government was paying “special attention” to preparations for “upcoming events within the ‘C5+1’ format and the next meeting of the US-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council.” The C5+1 provides the framework for expanded US economic and political cooperation with Central Asian states.
The US diplomatic duo’s meeting with Kyrgyz President and SCO summit host Sadyr Japarov also produced a statement emphasizing Kyrgyzstan’s interest in the C5+1 format. Japarov additionally called for the expansion of the US-sponsored B5+1 platform, which seeks to promote business-to-business contacts, as well as public-private partnerships.
By Eurasianet
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Eurasianet
Eurasianet is an independent news organization that covers news from and about the South Caucasus and Central Asia, providing on-the-ground reporting and critical perspectives on…
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