Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake Jr. is traveling to Almaty, Kazakhstan from August 14-15 and Tashkent, Uzbekistan from August 15-18, 2012.

In Almaty, Assistant Secretary Blake will hold a roundtable discussion with business leaders on regional economic integration in Central Asia.

In Tashkent, Assistant Secretary Blake will lead the U.S. delegation for the third United States-Uzbekistan Annual Bilateral Consultations. The Annual Bilateral Consultations are a structured policy dialogue designed to advance our common agenda and opportunities for cooperation across the full range of bilateral and regional issues. The delegations will discuss all aspects of the U.S.-Uzbekistan relationship, including regional stability and security, democracy and human rights, counternarcotics, education and cultural exchanges, and economic development and trade. The U.S. delegation will also meet with representatives from Uzbek civil society.