Kazakh Company Set to Invest in Afghanistan’s Chrome Mines
Kazakh media have reported that Eurasian Resources Group plans to soon begin field operations to explore and develop chrome mines in Afghanistan. According to these reports, the company is considering either directly purchasing a chrome mine or establishing a joint venture with Afghan partners.
The Qazba news agency wrote on Tuesday, June 22, that this topic was raised during a meeting between Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Affairs of the Taliban administration. The two sides also discussed the import of industrial aquamarine stones from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan for processing.
Following this visit, a memorandum of understanding is planned to be signed regarding the transfer of 30,000 tons of zinc ore from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan, valued at $18.8 million. The purpose of this agreement is to process these mineral materials in Kazakhstan.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Trade previously announced that during the Afghan-Kazakh forum held in Kabul, 25 cooperation memorandums were signed between private sector representatives of the two countries. According to the ministry, these agreements aim to expand trade and facilitate exports and imports between Afghan and Kazakh traders.
Serik Zhumangarin, who traveled to Kabul heading a high-level delegation, held separate meetings with several Taliban officials including Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Minister of Industry and Trade Nooruddin Azizi.
Despite expanding economic engagements, Kazakhstan has not formally recognized the Taliban administration. Yerkyn Tokumov, the Special Representative of Kazakhstan’s President on Afghanistan, emphasized that removing the Taliban’s name from the country’s terrorist organizations list does not imply recognition of the Taliban administration. He noted that Kazakhstan’s Astana policy remains one of “engagement without recognition.”
Referring to Afghanistan’s complex economic and social situation, Tokumov said that any economic or institutional vacuum in the country could have negative consequences. Meanwhile, some experts believe that the expansion of mining contracts without legal transparency and national oversight could raise concerns about the management of Afghanistan’s natural resources under the Taliban’s rule—a matter that has long been a serious demand of citizens and economic activists in the country.
