Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan from October 28 to November 3.

While in Vienna, Secretary Kerry will hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with foreign counterparts to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria.

The Secretary will then travel to Bishkek, Samarkand, Astana, Dushanbe, and Ashgabat to conduct bilateral discussions with senior government leaders in each country. This will be Secretary Kerry’s first visit to Central Asia and the first-ever visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to all five Central Asian republics on the same trip.

In Bishkek, the Secretary will participate in the opening of the new campus of the American University of Central Asia and dedicate the new chancery of the U.S. Embassy.

In Samarkand, the Secretary will participate in a joint meeting with the foreign ministers of all five countries. This meeting, a new format for dialogue between the United States and the Central Asian republics known as the “C5+1,” will allow the Secretary and ministers to discuss regional and global opportunities and challenges.

In Astana, the Secretary will participate in the fourth meeting of the U.S.-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership Dialogue and deliver remarks on Central Asia’s role in addressing global issues at Nazarbayev University.

While in Ashgabat and Dushanbe, the Secretary will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest with senior government officials.