Photo: tolonews.com
Kazakhstan’s Kazakhmys Barlau has launched geological exploration operations in Afghanistan, Tolonews reported.
The company described Afghanistan as a promising location for mineral extraction, noting that it contains deposits of high-purity lead and zinc.
In response, Homayoun Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mining and Petroleum, stated that Afghanistan possesses vast mineral reserves and welcomed potential Kazakh investment in the sector.
Kazakhmys Barlau LLP was established in 2018 as part of the Kazakhmys Group. According to egov.kz, the group is owned by Kazakhmys Copper, whose shares are held entirely by the Dutch holding company KCC B.V. Public filings on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) indicate that KCC B.V. is 70 percent controlled by Vladimir Kim and 30 percent by Eduard Ogay, the former CEO of the corporation. Both are ranked among Kazakhstan’s twenty wealthiest individuals, according to Forbes.kz.
This past spring, a delegation of Kazakh geologists and engineers visited several mining sites in Afghanistan with support from the country’s Ministry of Mining and Petroleum.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Construction, Iran Sharkhan, said that the specialists collected 130 kilograms of ore samples in Nuristan Province from sites with potential deposits of beryllium, lead, and zinc. The samples were sent to Kazakhstan for further laboratory analysis. Based on the results, Kazakhstan expressed readiness to engage in more substantive negotiations for future development of the deposits.
