The United States opened a new round of high-level critical minerals talks with all five Central Asian governments in Astana on 10 June, with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs Sergio Gor delivering a pointed message that Washington has decided to significantly deepen its engagement with a region it acknowledges has not received the attention it deserves.
“We care about this region, we want to be involved with this region, we want to identify win-win situations for the United States and your nations,” Gor told the first in-person C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue, held at The Ritz-Carlton in Astana and attended by officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The session covered geological exploration, surveying and mapping, mining and processing, and global value and supply chains.
Gor said the Trump administration’s increased focus on Central Asia reflects a clear strategic calculation. “There’s a reason we’re sitting at this table and not at another table around the world. It’s because this is where we have identified trusted partners,” he said. He pointed to the US International Development Finance Corporation as a key instrument, saying it was preparing to invest in critical minerals, telecommunications and Trans-Caspian infrastructure, and saw potential to transform the region’s mineral deposits into “the foundation of a new wave of industrialisation.” He added that Washington stands behind American companies operating in the region: “There is no such thing as a deal too small.”
Kazakhstan’s Industry and Construction Minister Yersaiyn Nagassayev framed the dialogue as a continuation of the bilateral track opened during President Tokayev’s November 2025 visit to Washington, when a critical minerals memorandum of understanding was signed in Tokayev’s presence by Nagassayev and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. He cited the Cove Capital tungsten cooperation — involving the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty deposits in Karaganda Region — as a concrete follow-up to those agreements.
Nagassayev presented Kazakhstan’s case for deeper partnership on multiple dimensions. The country holds more than 9,500 mineral deposits, including over 100 containing rare and rare earth metals. Investment in geological exploration has tripled since 2018 to exceed $1 billion annually, and the country has adopted the CRIRSCO international reporting standards since 2024. Major international companies including Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, First Quantum, Ivanhoe, Teck, Fortescue and Cove Capital have entered the market.
Crucially, Nagassayev emphasised that Kazakhstan seeks to be a value-added partner rather than a raw material exporter. “Kazakhstan is interested not only in exporting raw materials, but also in developing joint production facilities, technology transfer, workforce training, and scientific cooperation,” he said, proposing cooperation in processing, industrial clusters, advanced materials and research centres. He also linked the critical minerals agenda to the Middle Corridor transport route as a mechanism for diversifying Eurasian connectivity and ensuring reliable supply chain flows.
Gor met President Tokayev shortly before the dialogue session, and Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said the bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev covered economic partnerships, innovation, artificial intelligence, education, transport, logistics and the implementation of Tokayev-Trump agreements from November 2025.
