U.S. Eyes Central Asia’s Mineral Riches

It appears that the Trump administration’s single-minded pursuit of critical minerals is starting to bear fruit in Central Asia. According to an Uzbek government statement April 9, meetings in Washington involving Uzbek Investment Ministry officials and US business executives yielded several agreements covering the exploration, extraction and processing of minerals in the Central Asian state. The deals also reportedly cover the provision of innovative US technologies to Tashkent, and the training of Uzbek specialists. “The agreements…