Kazakhstan has made a confident statement on the global stage of strategic resources. Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev took part in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial Conference, held at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The event brought together representatives from more than 50 countries and marked a key moment in shaping the future architecture of global supply chains, DKNews.kz reports.
The conference featured remarks by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and gathered not only senior policymakers, but also executives of Kazakhstan’s mining companies, underlining the practical and economic dimension of the discussions.
Why critical minerals matter now
Critical minerals have become central to the world’s economic and geopolitical agenda. They are essential for clean energy technologies, high-tech manufacturing, digital infrastructure and defense industries. Against this backdrop, participants focused on how to diversify and strengthen global supply chains, reduce vulnerabilities and expand cooperation across borders.
Discussions covered the full value chain — from extraction and processing to logistics — with an emphasis on building resilient, transparent and sustainable systems capable of withstanding global disruptions.
Kazakhstan’s message to the world
In his remarks, the Foreign Minister highlighted Kazakhstan’s growing role in this strategically important sector and shared the country’s readiness to make a practical contribution to reliable global supply chains.
He emphasized that Kazakhstan combines several key advantages:
- substantial reserves of mineral resources;
- a well-developed industrial base for processing;
- modern transport and logistics infrastructure;
- political stability;
- a predictable and investor-friendly regulatory environment.
A particularly important point was that Kazakhstan is already capable of supplying finished products derived from 20 out of 60 critical minerals listed by the U.S. Geological Survey. These materials are in high demand across strategic sectors of the global economy, moving Kazakhstan beyond the role of a raw-material supplier.
A landmark memorandum with the United States
Special attention at the conference was given to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Critical Minerals between Kazakhstan and the United States, signed following the visit of the Head of State to Washington, DC, in November 2025.
This agreement became the first of its kind in Central Asia and sets out a clear roadmap for:
- developing processing capacities within Kazakhstan;
- facilitating technology transfer;
- expanding access for Kazakh products to the U.S. market.
Experts see the memorandum as a turning point that supports Kazakhstan’s ambition to deepen value-added production and integrate more closely into global industrial chains.
A high-level global platform
The conference brought together more than 30 heads of foreign ministries and relevant agencies from G7 countries and member states of the Pax Silica initiative, as well as representatives of leading international companies. Such a high-level and diverse participation reflects growing international interest in new, reliable partners in the critical minerals sector.
For Kazakhstan, participation in this inaugural conference was more than a diplomatic appearance. It signaled the country’s intention to play an active, long-term role in shaping a more secure and diversified global supply of critical minerals — one built on cooperation, trust and shared economic interests.
