A C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue was held in Astana on the eve of the 16th Astana Mining and Metallurgy Congress, co-chaired by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagassayev and US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor, bringing together government representatives from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan alongside the United States.
Discussions focused on priority areas of cooperation between Central Asian states and the US across the full critical minerals value chain — geological exploration, extraction, processing and supply to global markets. Participants identified long-term cooperation directions including the development of high-technology processing industries, creation of industrial clusters, technology transfer, workforce training and strengthened scientific and technical cooperation. Logistics and supply chain reliability for delivering products to world markets also featured prominently in the agenda.
Minister Nagassayev emphasised Kazakhstan’s position at the centre of the format’s mineral security agenda. “President Tokayev particularly underscores the important role of the C5+1 platform as a new format of interaction between Central Asia and the United States. The C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue is aimed at deepening cooperation in sustainable strategic raw material supply, developing technological interaction and building reliable global supply chains,” he said. He described Kazakhstan’s critical minerals sector as one of the country’s industrial policy priorities, noting that the country’s resource base encompasses more than 9,500 deposits, over 100 of which contain rare and rare earth metals. Digitalisation measures and the adoption of international standards have driven a significant increase in investment, attracting major global companies including Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, First Quantum, Ivanhoe, Teck, Fortescue and Cove Capital.
All parties confirmed their interest in developing multilateral cooperation and implementing joint industrial and infrastructure projects.
