TASHKENT, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan -- and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a dialogue here on Monday aimed at strengthening the region's ties with the U.S.
The high-level talks within the framework of C5+1, comprised of five Central Asian countries plus the United States, have become a regular affair covering economics, energy, transport, the environment and security, the Uzbek foreign ministry said in a statement.
Neighboring Afghanistan was another topic of discussion, the statement added.
The C5+1 multilateral forum was established in November 2015 at a ministerial meeting in Samarkand, the second largest city in Uzbekistan, with a goal of expanding inter-regional cooperation and boosting Central Asia's relations with the United States.
Pompeo, who is on a five-nation tour, is expected to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his final stop.
