Mirzoyan praises Armenia’s role in critical metals and rare earths

Armenia has a historic opportunity to become one of the key hubs for new supply and logistics routes, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a briefing with journalists, responding to a question about cooperation between Armenia and the United States in the extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earths.
 
He said the sector represents a new direction in Armenian-American relations.
“With regard to the extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements, you are right, this is an entirely new area in which the United States and Armenia are beginning cooperation,” Mirzoyan said.
 
According to him, cooperation in various fields has begun developing rapidly following the signing of memorandums of cooperation in Washington on August 8 last year.
 
The foreign minister referred to agreements reached in the fields of infrastructure, the TRIPP programme, energy, artificial intelligence and semiconductors, also highlighting processes involving NVIDIA, which he said are of major importance for Firebird.
Mirzoyan also noted that negotiations on the text of the “123” agreement have been completed, paving the way for cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
 
According to him, rare metals are now emerging as another new area of cooperation.
“These rare metals are critically important for very specific products, for example for the production of chips and semiconductors. We are now trying to complete an entire chain,” he said.
 
Mirzoyan said global competition is currently forming around critical metals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and new supply chains.
 
“At this moment, the Republic of Armenia truly has a historic opportunity to appear on these new supply routes and become one of the most important logistical hubs along those routes,” the minister stated.
 
Earlier, Armenia and the United States signed a framework memorandum on securing supply chains in the extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements.