U.S. Secretary of State Tours Central Asia
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shares a laugh with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev upon his arrival at Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Oct. 31, 2015.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Kazakstan on Monday, the third leg of his Central Asian tour of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
In Uzbekistan's capital Samarkand, Kerry met with the foreign ministers of all five countries, seeking stronger U.S. ties to the region and signing a joint declaration of cooperation, the Reuters news agency reported Sunday.
He met with President Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's autocratic leader, and although concerns over the region's human rights record have been raised, Kerry's focus has been on security and economic problems.
This is Secretary Kerry's first visit to Central Asia and the first-ever visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to all five Central Asian republics on the same trip, said the U.S. Department of State's website.
The trip comes in the midst of increased tension between the United States and Russia over intervention in the Syrian conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Kazakstan on Monday, the third leg of his Central Asian tour of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
In Uzbekistan's capital Samarkand, Kerry met with the foreign ministers of all five countries, seeking stronger U.S. ties to the region and signing a joint declaration of cooperation, the Reuters news agency reported Sunday.
He met with President Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's autocratic leader, and although concerns over the region's human rights record have been raised, Kerry's focus has been on security and economic problems.
This is Secretary Kerry's first visit to Central Asia and the first-ever visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to all five Central Asian republics on the same trip, said the U.S. Department of State's website.
The trip comes in the midst of increased tension between the United States and Russia over intervention in the Syrian conflict.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry looks at a dress during a Women Entrepreneurs' Trade Fair at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Oct. 31, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with businesswoman during a Women Entrepreneurs' Trade Fair at the US Embassy in Bishkek, Oct. 31, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
US Secretary of State John Kerry looks on as a vendor plays a string instrument while touring the Registan cultural site in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Nov.1, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
US Secretary of State John Kerry tours the Registan cultural site in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Nov.1, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tours Hazrat Sultan Mosque with Chief Imam Serikbay Oraz (centre R) in Astana, Kazakhstan, Nov. 2, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaves after touring the Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Astana, Kazakhstan, Nov. 2, 2015
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
Kazakh and American bodyguards wait as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tours the Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Astana, Kazakhstan, Nov. 2, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov before a meeting at the Oguzkhan Presidential Palace in Ashgabat on Nov. 3, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski / Reuters