AzerGold, NEQSOL Advance Gold Mine and Rare Earth Projects in Uzbekistan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have launched a batch of joint projects spanning mining, oil and gas, construction materials, agriculture, and other sectors. Among them, AzerGold will participate in the development of the Akba gold deposit in the Kitab district of the Kashkadarya region and conduct new geological exploration in the Nurata district of the Navoiy region; the mineral cooperation involving NEQSOL Holding covers the Navoiy, Tashkent, and Jizzakh regions, encompassing critical mineral resources such as rare earth elements.

Exploration of the Akba gold deposit had previously been carried out. In 2025, the Uzbek side included over 13 tonnes of industrial gold reserves from this deposit in the national reserve balance, with subsequent exploration expected to unlock a resource potential of up to an additional 50 tonnes of gold. In May of this year, Uzbek Geological Exploration continued exploration in the North Akba area, planning to complete 3,890 linear metres of drilling and 2,760 cubic metres of surface mining works.

Cooperation between AzerGold and the Uzbek side had previously reached the agreement stage. On June 16, AzerGold signed an agreement involving the joint development of a gold deposit in Uzbekistan; on July 17, AzerGold, Uzbekgeologorazvedka, and the Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan Investment Company signed constituent documents for a three-party joint venture, with geological exploration to be carried out through the joint venture platform.

In June, NEQSOL Holding signed a critical minerals cooperation agreement with Uzbekistan's mining and geology authorities, covering strategic raw materials including titanium. The latest project arrangements further designate the Navoiy, Tashkent, and Jizzakh regions as the areas for related mineral cooperation.

The same batch of mining projects also includes a silver ore processing project in the Namangan region. On August 23, a foundation-laying ceremony was held for the Sur Gold and Silver Project silver ore processing and beneficiation plant. The heads of state of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan participated in the online launch and foundation-laying events for the relevant projects on the same day.