US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the status of the Russian language in Central Asia during a visit to Uzbekistan. His brief comment sparked controversy in local media and social media, with some seeing it as support for the country's linguistic sovereignty, others as a possible political hint from Washington. At Registan Square in Samarkand, Rubio spoke to reporters. He asked one of them if he spoke Uzbek. When the journalist replied that he knew a little Russian, the Secretary of State said: It is no longer the official language here. But it's good. I understand that this has been said by many." The video was released to the local public. Journalist Anura Sudik described Rubio's words as something Uzbek officials had been determined to say for 30 years. According to her, the American diplomat should have mentioned the language situation in the country. There was confusion about the identity of the journalist. Some of the media surprised him as a representative of the local press, but the media clarified that the questions were asked by Eric Martin of Bloomberg. He spoke to Rubio in English and asked if he knew Uzbek. Kazakh political scientist Gaziz Absheyev admitted that the comment was not accidental. US interests in Central Asia include access to natural resources by US businesses, combating religious extremism and weakening the influence of Russia and China. Abishev suggested that Rubio's trip was preceded by a report on sensitive issues in the region, and that the brief statement was part of a deliberate diplomatic tactic. Uzbek musician and blogger Jasur Mirsagatov explained the repetition by the fact that the copy touched on several painful issues at once: national identity, the position of the Russian language and Russia's political influence.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the status of the Russian language in Central Asia during a visit to Uzbekistan. His brief comment sparked controversy in local media and social media, with some seeing it as support for the country's linguistic sovereignty, others as a possible political hint from Washington. At Registan Square in Samarkand, Rubio spoke to reporters. He asked one of them if he spoke Uzbek. When the journalist replied that he knew a little Russian, the Secretary of State said: It is no longer the official language here. But it's good. I understand that this has been said by many." The video was released to the local public. Journalist Anura Sudik described Rubio's words as something Uzbek officials had been determined to say for 30 years. According to her, the American diplomat should have mentioned the language situation in the country. There was confusion about the identity of the journalist. Some of the media surprised him as a representative of the local press, but the media clarified that the questions were asked by Eric Martin of Bloomberg. He spoke to Rubio in English and asked if he knew Uzbek. Kazakh political scientist Gaziz Absheyev admitted that the comment was not accidental. US interests in Central Asia include access to natural resources by US businesses, combating religious extremism and weakening the influence of Russia and China. Abishev suggested that Rubio's trip was preceded by a report on sensitive issues in the region, and that the brief statement was part of a deliberate diplomatic tactic. Uzbek musician and blogger Jasur Mirsagatov explained the repetition by the fact that the copy touched on several painful issues at once: national identity, the position of the Russian language and Russia's political influence.