On March 1, 2021, Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Ulukbek Maripov met with representatives of the associations of miners and geologists of the Kyrgyz Republic and the International Business Council.

During the meeting, the current state of the mining industry and the prospects for its development were discussed.

“The mining sector is one of the priority areas in the activities of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. However, the socio-political situation that developed after events of October 6, 2020 led to the shutdown of many mining companies. Nevertheless, at the end of 2020, as a result of the activities of mining enterprises, the republican and local budgets received more than18.2 billion soms, which is 140% compared to 2019. We are interested in our work being well-coordinated. Considering certain difficulties in the mining sector, which negatively affect the development of the economy and investment attractiveness of the country, we intend to carry out appropriate reforms,” Maripov said.

The associations’ members identified the main problems of the mining industry, including legislative regulation of subsoil use, lack of professional staff, budgetary funds for the development of the industry, political instability, and problems of interaction with local communities.