Potential partnership between Tajikistan’s Ministry of  Industry and New Technologies and the United Kingdom to jointly extract, process, and develop critical minerals becomes more realistic as the former has passed a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK government. 

This cooperation is aimed at strengthening supply chains for resources vital to the global energy transition, advanced technologies, and industrial developments, while overcoming the market vulnerabilities due to concentrated production in a few countries and the risk of supply disruptions.

Also read: UK outlines bold 2035 vision for critical minerals security

In light of this, Tajikistan and the UK are working together to diversify supply sources and encourage the creation of more sustainable global supply chains of those critical resources available in Tajikistan. Geologists indicate there are lithium deposits in the country and rare earth elements, such as cerium and praseodymium. All these minerals are essential for electronics, renewable energy technologies, and electric vehicles. 

Both Tajikistan and UK governments pledge to apply environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria throughout the lifecycle of mining projects, placing the memorandum of understanding on a high priority of sustainability.

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The agreement further includes provisions for export credit and project insurance, subject to certain conditions, which could support investment flows into Tajikistan’s mining sector. Beyond commercial cooperation, the two sides plan to expand scientific and educational collaboration, including academic partnerships, knowledge exchange between research institutes, and initiatives aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of the mining industry.

To coordinate these efforts, a joint working group on critical minerals will be established, meeting twice a year. The memorandum will remain valid for five years with the possibility of automatic renewal.

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