Central Asia Emerges as a New Front in the Minerals Supply Chain Battle

US and Central Asian officials will meet June 11-12 in the Kazakh capital Astana to explore deals concerning the mining and processing of critical minerals. The gathering marks a step forward for the C5+1 Dialogue, which strives to expand economic, educational, and political ties linking the United States and Central Asia. The meeting, officially titled the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress (AMM-2026), seeks to catalyze “the transition from the framework agreements reached at the November [C5+1] 2025 summit in Washington to concrete…