Kazakhstan and Belgium are exploring opportunities for cooperation in critical minerals. Astana is seeking to attract European technologies to develop the production of high-value-added metals and materials. Prospects for cooperation were discussed at a seminar held at Nazarbayev University to coincide with the state visit of the King and Queen of the Belgians. The event brought together government officials, industry representatives and researchers from both countries. According to Olzhas Alibekov, Deputy Chairman of the Industry Committee at the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction, the country has the resources to supply the European Union with 21 of the 34 critical raw materials it needs. Some of these metals are already exported to Europe. The next priority is to expand domestic processing capabilities and establish the production of finished goods in Kazakhstan.
«We have significant potential, and Belgian companies are showing interest in Kazakhstan’s metallurgical industry. Significant work is underway in geological exploration, and we have strong expertise in rare metal processing. Representatives from Molymet’s Belgian office and HYDROMETAL are also here today. Both companies have experience in this field. Molymet, for example, specialises in producing metallic rhenium. The technologies and expertise are already available. Our main goal is to transfer these technologies to Kazakhstan and establish domestic production of intermediate products,» Alibekov said.
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