He said the annual dialogue will strengthen ties and build practical cooperation between the USA and Central Asian nations.

“The first of these Annual Bilateral Consultations will take place later this week, with Uzbekistani Foreign Minister Norov leading a delegation to Washington”, he added.

“We plan to launch similar Annual Consultations with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan in the coming months”, US diplomat said.

He said: “These dialogues will focus on practical steps we can take to make realistic progress on a mutually agreed agenda. We want to move from words to actions across the breadth of our relationship.”

“We also plan to expand our educational and professional exchanges and promote people-to-people relationships throughout the region as well as increase our public diplomacy efforts to tell America’s story”, he added.