Bishkek hosts America’s largest business delegation to Central Asia
More than 50 U.S. companies joined the second B5+1 Business Forum, where Washington named e-commerce, AI, critical minerals, agriculture and transport as priorities.
More than 50 American companies travelled to Bishkek on February 4–5 for the second B5+1 Business Forum, making it the largest U.S. commercial delegation ever to visit Central Asia.
The forum was organised by the Government of Kyrgyzstan and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). It brought together Sergio Gor, U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia; Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov; Daniyar Amangeldiev, First Deputy Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers; and Ersaiyn Nagaspaev, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction.
The business side of the C5+1
The B5+1 is the private-sector counterpart to the C5+1 diplomatic format. It brings companies and policymakers from the United States and the five Central Asian republics together to identify barriers to investment and propose regulatory fixes.
The Bishkek meeting reviewed progress on the 21 private-sector recommendations produced at the first forum, held in Almaty in March 2024, and set priorities for the next phase. Special Envoy Gor named five areas of focus:
- E-commerce
- Artificial intelligence
- Critical minerals
- Agriculture
- Transport infrastructure
Participants also emphasised region-wide coordination and the Transport Corridor for Peace and Prosperity, which would connect Central Asia through the South Caucasus to global markets.
Context
More than 600 U.S. companies already operate in Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan’s economy grew 11.1% in 2025, one of the fastest rates in the region.
What it means for CASA clients
A delegation of this size signals that U.S. interest in Central Asia has moved beyond energy into a much broader set of sectors. The B5+1 is also one of the few forums where companies can raise specific regulatory obstacles directly with governments, and where those concerns are tracked from one meeting to the next.
For Central Asian companies, the priority list is a useful guide to where American partners are actively looking, and where an introduction is most likely to turn into a deal.