The world is entering an era defined by access to the minerals that make modern technology possible. Governments are rewriting their industrial strategies, boards are adjusting investment plans, and defence ministries are modelling risk scenarios shaped by mineral security. The next generation of energy systems, transport fleets and electronics cannot be built without dependable supplies, and the scramble to secure them is already underway. Governments are looking for partners able to offer stability and long-term production. Kyrgyzstan's intention is clear: we will be a disciplined, transparent, and reliable contributor to those supply chains.

My visit to London and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom signal this direction. The agreement aligns British strategic needs with Kyrgyzstan's national priorities and places our mineral resources, including antimony, rare earth elements, tungsten, copper, beryllium, and other transition-relevant metals, within a structured framework of cooperation, investment and governance reform.

Both countries recognise the scale of the opportunity and the risks created by concentrated supply. Both agree that practical action is required now.

Kyrgyzstan brings an abundance of resources to this partnership. State surveys confirm more than twenty minerals designated as critical for global manufacturing and modern energy systems. The country holds some of the world's largest antimony reserves, a cluster of rare earth deposits and significant stores of other strategic metals. These resources are mapped, assessed and ready for development. With demand rising and supply gaps widening, Kyrgyzstan can expand access to these critical reserves at a moment when it is most needed.

That's why Kyrgyzstan has set out a plan to build a modern critical minerals sector anchored in a clear national policy. The Presidential Decree on critical minerals mandates the development of a full national strategy supported by regulatory reform and digital geological infrastructure. The Government's Programme for the Development of the Mineral Resource Base places these materials at the centre of diversification, industrial upgrading and long-term resilience.

These national directives will chart a course for our minerals sector over the next decade, and several reforms are already underway. Kyrgyzstan is digitising and publishing its geological data, which provides greater visibility to the industry and improves project assessments. Licensing rules are being clarified and aligned with international reporting standards. We are also strengthening environmental safeguards and reclamation requirements to ensure the sustainable development of these minerals. For the same reason, Kyrgyzstan continues to uphold its commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and to open reporting, because these measures create predictability for investors and ensure government accountability.

Partners in the UK

Our partners in the United Kingdom have helped reinforce this work. Through technical support and economic analysis, the UK has helped strengthen the foundations of our mineral governance. British-backed modelling has identified a pipeline of investable projects across metals needed for renewable power, energy storage and high-end manufacturing. Advisory support has guided the upgrade of our geological information systems. The new MoU converts this cooperation into a formal structure that can mobilise investment, support project evaluation and link Kyrgyz production with global supply chains.

Kyrgyzstan is moving with ambition to rapidly advance its extraction capacity. Production will rise as projects advance from assessment to development, and more processing will be carried out domestically so that a greater share of value remains inside the country. Kyrgyzstan will not follow the pattern of exporting raw ore with little value remaining. We intend to move up the value chain, build industrial capacity around the minerals we produce, and ensure that development strengthens the national economy as well as the global economy and the economies of our partners.

As countries electrify transport, scale renewable power, strengthen defence capabilities and modernise manufacturing, demand for critical minerals will only continue to accelerate. Existing suppliers cannot meet this demand alone. Advanced economies require strategic diversification, which depends on new producers capable of integrating into global supply networks. Kyrgyzstan is positioning itself to meet that need.

The UK-Kyrgyz partnership is a model for the future of international cooperation around critical minerals. Britain requires reliable access to a host of materials necessary to emerging technologies. Kyrgyzstan seeks partners committed to transparency, modern governance and shared strategic interest, who are willing to invest in a long-term relationship. The recent MoU establishes a framework for practical cooperation and lays the groundwork for investment in extraction, processing and the digital systems that underpin a credible mineral sector.

With the support of the United Kingdom, Kyrgyzstan is strengthening the supply chains that will enable the next generation of advanced technologies.

Meder Mashiev is Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision in the Kyrgyz Republic