US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries agreed to deepen cooperation on transport, critical minerals and security at a C5+1 meeting in Samarkand on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The talks brought together the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In a joint statement, they backed investment in the Trans-Caspian trade route, closer industrial cooperation and simpler customs procedures. A trade route to Europe The Trans-Caspian route, also known as the Middle Corridor, connects Central Asia with European markets through the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Turkey, bypassing Russia. "We're going…