Uzbekistan and U.S. Agree to Cooperate on Critical and Rare Earth Minerals

Uzbekistan and the United States have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in the supply, extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth materials.

The agreement was signed on February 5 during the Ministerial Meeting on Critical Minerals in Washington by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister Bakhtiyor Saidov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

«We view critical minerals not only as an economic opportunity but also as a field for responsible partnership and long-term sustainable development,» Saidov said.

Uzbekistan holds significant reserves of gold, copper, tungsten, silver and uranium. In addition, the country is home to deposits of more than 30 rare and critical metals, including lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, germanium, vanadium and indium.

Kursiv also reports that China is expected to play a dominant role in the global processing of critical minerals by 2030. The country is projected to control almost 60% of global processing capacity for lithium, rare earth elements, cobalt and graphite.

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