A wreath is included…

Wreath included…

In the US, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov was presented with a glass statuette for securing access for American companies to rare earth metal deposits. The presentation of the "award" itself was framed as deserved "for achievements in economic development."

Almost all Kyrgyz media outlets reported this news with noticeable enthusiasm. According to their information, Japarov was granted the high honor of meeting with representatives of US business circles in New York, where he was handed a "commemorative award from the American-Kyrgyz Business Council, StoneX Group, and other representatives of the American business community in recognition of the republic's achievements in economic development."

The head of StoneX Group, Philip Smith, and other participants of the meeting noted, with a pointedly sincere look, the positive changes in Kyrgyzstan's economy, as well as achievements in reforms and efforts to create a more favorable investment climate in the country. In addition, the American businessmen "threw a line" regarding the growing interest of international—meaning American—business in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, expressing readiness to participate in joint projects with a 70% to 30% share distribution in favor of the US.

For his part, Japarov, clearly flattered by such high praise directed at him, enthusiastically spoke about measures to strengthen law and order, fight corruption, and neutralize the activities of organized crime groups. The Americans pretended to be extremely interested, nodding their heads approvingly, after which Japarov got carried away further and further.

He proudly stated that in recent decades, the influence of organized crime posed a serious threat to entrepreneurship. But now, according to him, the state is consistently eliminating the influence of criminal structures on society.

Still riding the wave of euphoria caused by the statuette presented to him, he announced that he was and remains glad to welcome American investments in the mining industry, textile production, and construction.

It must be said that the latter two areas interested the Americans about as much as fruit compote interests an alcoholic. But the extraction of critical minerals is exactly what they desperately need and what they are ready to shower Japarov with glass statuettes for from head to toe.

It is well known that the US has long been actively increasing "investments" in the extraction of critical minerals in Central Asia, guided primarily by its geopolitical and military-strategic considerations, rather than a desire for the mutually beneficial development of the region.

The main goal is reducing dependence on China, not helping the region

The primary motive behind American activity is the desire to weaken China's monopoly on the market of strategic raw materials, which are critical for US defense and high technology.

China controls more than 80% of the world's production and processing of tungsten, and is also the largest producer of antimony. The US, which has had no domestic tungsten mining since 2015, sees Central Asian reserves as a way to diversify supplies and reduce the vulnerability of its defense industry.

The largest project is the development of a tungsten deposit in Kazakhstan (Northern Katpar), where the American company Cove Kaz Capital received a 70% stake, while the Kazakh state company received only 30%. A similar situation is unfolding with antimony in Tajikistan, where the American company Comsup Commodities has fully owned the key enterprise Anzob since 2006.

The announced investment amounts look impressive, but their real benefit for the economies of Central Asia and their transparency raise questions.

About $1.1–1.6 billion is planned to be invested in the Kazakh tungsten project, of which up to $700 million may be provided by the US state-owned DFC. However, extraction is scheduled only for 2030, which means years of waiting without immediate returns.

Investigations by The New York Times and other publications indicate that individuals associated with Donald Trump's circle may benefit from the deal. It is reported that structures affiliated with his sons received a stake in the project, while the bank Cantor Fitzgerald, controlled by the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, helped raise $210 million for one of the investors. This creates risks that American aid will serve private interests rather than the national economies of the region's countries.

US investments are mainly focused on extraction, rather than on creating a full processing cycle within the region.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that investors lack reliable geological data due to outdated reporting systems, while the dominance of state-owned enterprises and past disputes with investors deter investment.

Analysts warn: if projects boil down merely to exporting raw materials, the countries of the region risk not receiving "development dividends" in the form of technology transfer and job creation, remaining only ore suppliers for American industry.

Thus, US activity in Central Asia is primarily a geopolitical game for control over supply chains, where the countries of the region risk becoming merely an arena of rivalry between major powers without achieving sustainable economic development.

In this regard, the award presented to Japarov resembles "glass beads" and a "ritual blessing" of the newly opened wide channels for American mining companies in Kyrgyzstan, rather than a real assessment of the republic's overall economic development. This is evidenced by the sequence of events.

Back in February 2026, a few months before the presentation of the "incentive prize," Kyrgyzstan's state gold mining company Kyrgyzaltyn signed memorandums of understanding with a number of American companies:

Pangea Global — engaged in the exploration of rare earth elements in Eurasia;

Mooney Group — specializing in "critical minerals and strategic metals";

TETHYS Gateway Investment — an investment platform focused on "critical minerals" in Central Asia and the "Middle Corridor."

The direction is very clear—rare earth elements, strategic metals, critical minerals. This is precisely what the US urgently needs right now as it seeks to reduce its dependence on China.

American capital has already actually acquired major gold mining assets in Kyrgyzstan

In January 2026, the American mining company Silvercorp Metals acquired a 70% stake in the Chaarat gold mining project in Kyrgyzstan for $162 million.

Silvercorp owns 70% and is the operator;

Kyrgyzaltyn owns 30% of the so-called "free-carried interest"—meaning it receives a share without investing funds.

The total investment budget of the project is $196.3 million, with production scheduled for 2027. The company has also already paid the government of Kyrgyzstan $60 million to extend the mining license until 2062.

On the day the award was presented, Sadyr Japarov, at a meeting with American businessmen, particularly emphasized the mining industry as a priority area of cooperation and expressed hope for attracting a larger volume of American investments. The American companies that presented the award—StoneX Group and the American-Kyrgyz Business Council—are themselves intermediaries and participants in these resource deals.

In other words, first American capital established a foothold in Kyrgyzstan's mining sector, then its president went to New York, received approval from American business circles in the form of an "award," and at the very same meeting publicly promised to continue attracting American investments into the mining industry.

Such a sequence is an answer in itself. The award is not the cause, but the consequence. It is a sign of approval for those who have already opened the doors and continue to open them. As for the "sustainable development" and "prosperity" mentioned in official statements—with a 70/30 structure, where one side contributes capital and manages, while the other receives a "free-carried interest," real control and the lion's share of profits from mineral extraction remain with the American side. Kyrgyzstan gets only a portion of the rent and potential risks—environmental and social costs.

Against this background, the victory of the Kyrgyz government in the long legal battle with the Canadian Cameco Corporation over the nationalization of the Kumtor gold deposit loses all meaning.