ISTANBUL

Kazakhstan is capable of supplying 20 of the 60 critical minerals listed by the US Geological Survey as finished products, according to Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev.

Kazakhstan has significant mineral reserves, a developed industrial base for their processing, modern infrastructure, a stable political system and a predictable regulatory environment, Kosherbayev said at the first Critical Minerals Ministerial Conference in Washington, after being invited by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a statement by the ministry.

The conference was attended by representatives from more than 50 countries and executives of Kazakhstan`s mining companies.

Kosherbayev expressed the country's readiness to make a practical contribution to the development of reliable and sustainable global supply chains.

The US and Kazakhstan focused on the implementation of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in critical minerals, signed Nov. 6, following Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev's visit to Washington, said the ministry.

“This document, the first such agreement in Central Asia, provides for the development of processing capacities in Kazakhstan, technology transfer, and expanded access for Kazakh products to the US market,” it said.