(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump and his circle are expanding their business interests in a region where his administration is seeking to deepen its own economic influence.
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Projects in the Caucasus and Central Asia tied to his family and associates span luxury real estate, critical minerals and transportation, from what would be the tallest tower in Georgia to a tungsten mine in Kazakhstan and a new trade route connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"Whenever we come to a location, others follow us," Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the US president's son, said in a video message at the presentation of Trump Tower Tbilisi, a 280-meter landmark that's touted as the centerpiece of a $2 billion development.
The endeavor is the latest example underscoring how dealmaking is playing out alongside Washington's effort to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties in the region, boosting the area's attractiveness for the sort of private investments the president's relations are making. It also means Washington is vying for influence in an arena of intensifying competition with Russia, China and increasingly the European Union.
The ren...