Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision Akyl Toktobaev has met with a delegation from Turkish company MTA International Mining Inc., led by CEO Nail Yildirim, to discuss prospects for bilateral cooperation across the full mining value chain including geological exploration, mineral processing and critical minerals development.
The discussions focused on joint geological exploration, technology and knowledge sharing in exploration, production, beneficiation and mineral processing, personnel training, specialist internships and joint research projects in rare earth elements and critical minerals — areas of growing strategic priority as Western governments seek to diversify supply chains away from Chinese-dominated sources.
The meeting follows Toktobaev’s participation in April 2026 in the OECD Forum on Strategically Important Minerals in Istanbul, where he emphasised Kyrgyzstan’s ongoing implementation of international reporting standards and strengthened disclosure requirements in the subsoil use sector. “This contributes to increased transparency in the industry and strengthens investor and public confidence,” he said. On the sidelines of the Istanbul forum, Toktobaev also held a bilateral meeting with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar to discuss expanding subsoil use cooperation between the two countries.
Kyrgyzstan holds significant critical mineral endowment including approximately 13% of global antimony reserves and substantial gold, copper and rare metal resources, and has been working to position itself as an investable jurisdiction as Western and allied interest in Central Asian mineral assets intensifies. Turkey’s MTA International Mining is the international arm of the Turkish state geological survey, giving the cooperation discussions an institutional rather than purely commercial character.
