The minister emphasized that the mining industry is a crucial source of economic growth for Kyrgyzstan, accounting for 12.6% of GDP, 64.5% of industrial production, and 38% of exports.
As part of the sector development strategy, Kyrgyzstan has identified 21 critical minerals, as well as 4 priority projects, 9 promising deposits, and 16 areas for further exploration. Significant deposits include the rare earth resources of Kutesay-II and Kalesay, as well as areas promising for the extraction of antimony and fluorite, including Northern Akhtash.
Meder Mashiev noted that critical minerals play a key role in modern fields such as green energy, digitalization, and aerospace technologies. Kyrgyzstan has substantial reserves of rare earth elements, copper, antimony, tungsten, and aluminum, which opens up opportunities for integration into global supply chains.
According to the minister, the country has industrial reserves at the deposits of Sandyk and Zardalek, which exceed 400 million tons of aluminum raw materials. This creates a foundation for closer cooperation with Tajikistan in the mining and metallurgical sector.
The minister proposed to consider the possibility of creating a unified transboundary production chain that would start with the extraction of aluminum raw materials in Kyrgyzstan and end with the production of finished products in Tajikistan.
“The implementation of such projects could serve as an example of successful regional integration, ensuring supply stability and elevating technological cooperation between our countries to a new level,” he added.
