US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu will visit Uzbekistan this week as part of his tour of the region.

According to the US State Department, during the visit, Assistant Secretary Lu will discuss the launch of the Economic Resilience Initiative in Central Asia. Through the Initiative, the United States will provide $25 million in funding to bolster regional trade routes and capacity, educate and train a skilled workforce, and attract international investment to Central Asia.

The US official is scheduled to meet with government officials as well as civil society and cultural groups to further advance support for women and girls’ empowerment and freedom of religion or belief.

It should be noted that Donald Lu visited Uzbekistan earlier in May. Issues of bilateral cooperation, Uzbekistan’s accession to WTO, the impact of sanctions against Russia on the country’s development and others were discussed during the talks back then.