Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr. will travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, April 22–26.

In Astana, Kazakhstan on April 23, Assistant Secretary Blake will meet with senior officials from the Government of Kazakhstan to discuss the broad range of bilateral and regional issues that define relations between the United States and Kazakhstan. He will also address students from Nazarbayev University and meet with civil society representatives.

From Astana, Assistant Secretary will travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he will meet with senior officials to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest, including in the security, political, economic, and human dimensions of the U.S.–Uzbekistan relationship. On April 24, Assistant Secretary Blake will deliver remarks at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy about American foreign policy in Central Asia. While in Tashkent, Assistant Secretary Blake will also meet with civil society leaders and business representatives.

Assistant Secretary Blake will then travel to Almaty on April 25 to accompany Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns as part of the U.S. delegation to the Heart of Asia Conference. Please click here for additional information about this conference.

For updates, follow Assistant Secretary Blake on Twitter @State_SCA.

For media inquiries, please contact Emily Horne at horneej@state.gov.