ASTANA,Kazakhstan(Correspondent LP) – Kazakh Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Iran Sharkhan and the United Kingdom’s (UK) Minister of Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani signed a roadmap for strategic cooperation in critical minerals on the sidelines of the Mineral Processing and Circular Economy business forum, currently being held on March 11-15 in London.
This roadmap is a concrete action following the memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership concerning critical minerals. This memorandum was established during the visit of the British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, to Astana in March 2023.
Critical minerals, including various metals and rare elements, are vital components of modern technology and are indispensable for maintaining national security and fostering economic growth.
The Kazakh delegation, led by Sharkhan, highlighted three primary areas of focus in the roadmap: collaboration in geology, personnel training, and technology transfer.
The British Geological Survey has identified 18 critical minerals. Of these, Kazakhstan has the capability to produce eight and holds raw material reserves for an additional ten.
The collaboration with the UK is primarily aimed at drawing investment into geological exploration and technology. Sharkhan emphasized that foreign investors granted rights to develop a field in Kazakhstan are required to commit to processing raw materials domestically and establishing new production facilities.
It’s noteworthy that the export threshold for processed raw materials is aligned with the average processing stage, which typically involves goods of low technological complexity or semi-finished products.
