Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has proposed accelerating the creation of a Regional Alliance for Critical Minerals and beginning its practical work with the development of a Unified Digital Map of Critical Mineral Reserves in Central Asia.
The initiative was put forward by the head of state at the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan in Avaza, Turkmenistan, the press service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan said.
The initiative to establish the Regional Alliance for Critical Minerals was previously proposed by Uzbekistan. Speaking at the summit, Mirziyoyev noted the rapidly growing importance of critical minerals and stressed the need for joint action by countries in the region in this area.
According to the president, a unified digital map of reserves could become one of the first practical steps within the alliance. Such a resource would provide a more comprehensive picture of Central Asia's potential and demonstrate to international investors that countries in the region are ready to jointly develop the critical minerals sector.
“It is important for us to act together here,” Mirziyoyev said.
The critical minerals initiative was part of a broader package of proposals by the Uzbek president to deepen regional cooperation. These include creating joint industrial and technological chains, establishing a Platform for Financial and Technical Support for Joint Investment Projects, and accelerating the creation of the Infrastructure Development Council.
Mirziyoyev also proposed giving practical substance to the “six economies — one product” formula, which envisages enterprises from several countries participating in a single production chain.
The eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan was held for the first time with the participation of Azerbaijan. Following the meeting, the chairmanship of the format, which had been held by Turkmenistan for a year, passed to Azerbaijan.
