Ministry of Industry: "To Expand Cooperation on Critical Minerals with Tajikistan"

Cooperation Initiatives Discussed Ahead of the First Korea-Central Asia Summit on September 16
First-Ever Korea-Tajikistan Minerals Forum to Be Held on August 12

South Korea and Tajikistan have agreed to strengthen their cooperation on critical minerals as well as industrial and economic projects. Going forward, the two countries plan to identify partnership initiatives that connect Tajikistan’s resource potential—including gold, silver, and antimony—with South Korea’s mineral exploration and development technology.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Vice Minister Moon Sinhak met with Isodzhan Qurbonzoda, First Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, in Seoul on August 11. During the meeting, the two discussed industrial and economic projects related to the upcoming “First Korea-Central Asia Summit,” scheduled for September 16, as well as strategies for bilateral cooperation on critical minerals.

The two sides agreed to use the upcoming summit as an opportunity to launch a new regular cooperation channel, the “C5+Korea Ministers of Industry Meeting,” which will bring together industry ministers from South Korea and the five Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan). They also discussed signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of industry and new technologies between South Korea and Tajikistan. In addition, both sides exchanged views on expanding exchanges and cooperation between major companies from the two countries, particularly through the “Korea-Central Asia Business Summit” that will be held during the period of the leaders’ summit.

Furthermore, the two sides discussed measures to expand cooperation on critical mineral supply chains. Vice Minister Moon stated, “Ahead of the Korea-Central Asia Summit, I am pleased that we are holding the first-ever Korea-Tajikistan Minerals Forum on August 12 in Seoul, bringing together Tajikistan’s diverse mineral resources, including gold, silver, and antimony.” He added, “We expect this forum will serve as an opportunity to identify practical joint projects by linking Tajikistan’s resource potential with South Korea’s mineral exploration, development technology, and demand.” The forum will bring together government officials, professionals, and companies from both countries to discuss critical minerals policies, joint exploration opportunities, and plans for investment, finance, and supply chain establishment.

Vice Minister Moon said, “Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, are important partners for cooperation, possessing abundant resources and growth potential. I will work to concretize the cooperation tasks discussed in today’s meeting so that they can lead to tangible achievements in the areas of industry, supply chain, and critical minerals at the Korea-Central Asia Summit in September.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.