Analysts have estimated the reserves of rare earth metals in the South Caucasus.

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Armenia has significant reserves of rare earth elements, but US interest in this area is also driven by political reasons, which is why the memorandum was signed. Georgia has even greater reserves, but there are no similar agreements with the US. In Azerbaijan, there are no separate deposits of rare earth metals.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed on May 26 a charter on strategic partnership between the two countries and initialed a framework agreement on the "Trump Route" project. A framework memorandum "On ensuring supplies in the field of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements" was also signed.

Energy security expert Vahe Davtyan and geologist Samvel Hovakimyan commented on the signing of the memorandum "On ensuring supplies in the field of extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements" between the United States and Armenia on May 29 to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The memorandum on the extraction and processing of minerals and rare earth resources between Yerevan and Washington should be considered Vahe Davtyan believes that the US attempts to quickly strengthen its presence in the region in the areas of logistics, energy, and raw materials are in line with the logic of US attempts to quickly strengthen its presence in the region in the areas of logistics, energy, and raw materials.

"The document on minerals should also be considered in the same spirit. Today, there is fierce competition in the world for rare metals. They are necessary for the production of chips, military technologies, artificial intelligence, and green energy. In this sense, Syunik, but not only it, is becoming an area of ​​global interest," he said.

If we simply export ore, and the entire technological and industrial chain remains outside the country, the economic effect will be minimal, and political dependence will be much greater.

At the same time, Armenia should not become a mere raw materials appendage, he notes. "If we simply export ore, and the entire technological and industrial chain remains outside the country, the economic impact will be minimal, but political dependence will be much greater," Davtyan emphasized.

Samvel Hovakimyan lists Armenia's mineral resources.

"Armenia has significant geological potential for rare and critical metals. The presence of the following elements in the republic's subsoil is currently reliably known: rhenium, selenium, tellurium, and bismuth. These metals are present in Armenian deposits, particularly as associated components in copper-molybdenum ores. "Furthermore, igneous rock complexes containing rare earth elements have been identified in Armenia, confirming the potential of these deposits for high-tech industry," he said.

We are dealing with a rich spectrum of critically important metals.

According to him, Armenia's mineral resources offer much more than traditional copper-molybdenum assets. "We are dealing with a rich spectrum of critically important metals. But for them to become industrially significant, modern separation and purification technologies are required. "This requires the involvement of international experience and investment," he noted.

The signing of an agreement on rare earth metals between the United States and Georgia is a matter of time

Georgian political scientist Mamuka Areshidze and geologist, Vice President of the Georgian Academy of Natural Sciences Alexander Tvalchrelidze commented on the situation with the extraction of rare earth metals in Georgia to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Georgia and the United States do not have a similar agreement, said Mamuka Areshidze.

"Georgia does not have a similar agreement in the area of ​​extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements, which Armenia and the United States signed. "Our country has critical minerals, but the United States has not yet shown such interest," he said.

I think that Georgia and Azerbaijan will also soon be the center of American attention, because the United States and its companies really need these minerals.

But it's a matter of time, he believes. "The United States is showing interest in all countries that have such minerals. Armenia is no exception in this matter. This is the result of US global policy. I think that Georgia and Azerbaijan will also soon be the center of American attention, because the United States and its companies really need these minerals," he said.

Alexander Tvalchrelidze confirmed that Tbilisi and Washington do not cooperate in this area.

"Yes, Georgia and the United States do not have such an agreement. But I must say that Georgia has more minerals than Armenia. Much more. They are all in their original form. Georgia is not involved in their extraction, processing, or export," he said.

Currently, Georgia mainly extracts copper and gold from metals.

According to him, the signing of an agreement between Armenia and the United States on the extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements is purely a political gesture. "There is no economic factor here, only a political one. Or, if the US really does plan to search for minerals in Armenia, then it's fair to say Mr. Trump has very poor advisors to take such a step. I'll reiterate that Georgia has many more minerals—gallium, germanium, arsenic, antimony, and much more. But in Georgia, the metals they extract now are mainly copper and gold,” he noted.

Rare earth metals are present in Azerbaijan as impurities

There are no individual deposits of rare earth metals in Azerbaijan, Togrul Juvarli, an economic observer for the Turan analytical service, and Fuad Hasanov, a member of the NGO Coalition for Transparency in the Extractive Industries, told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Azerbaijan’s mineral reserves were thoroughly studied by geologists back in the Soviet era, especially in the post-World War II period, and no deposits of rare earth metals on an industrial scale were discovered, Togrul Juvarli said.

In some ore regions, for example, in the Gadabay deposit, the presence of such elements has been recorded, but their concentrations are insufficient for separate industrial extraction.

However, according to him, rare earth elements in the country's subsoil are present as dispersed impurities in copper, gold, and polymetallic ores. "In some ore regions, for example, in the Gadabay deposit, the presence of such elements has been recorded, but their concentrations are insufficient for separate industrial extraction," the expert noted.

As Juvarly emphasized, Azerbaijan currently lacks a specialized technological base for the deep processing and separation of ores and the extraction of rare elements from them. However, in his opinion, the potential for further research and development remains. "The development of geological exploration and the integrated processing of copper-gold ore and polymetallic raw materials in Azerbaijan could increase the importance of rare earth elements as a by-product. An additional factor is the steady growth in global demand for rare earth metals, driven by the development of high-tech industries, including electronics and renewable energy," Juvarli said.

He believes that prospects for extracting rare elements could open up with the expected industrial development of the Filizchay polymetallic deposit by the state-owned company Azergold in the coming years. "This company is already developing gold deposits and producing gold bars, has certain technological experience, and in the future can also extract rare elements from ores. But, I repeat, this will be a by-product in the extraction of metals - copper, lead, zinc," said Juvarly, emphasizing that the Filizchay ore field is among the ten largest polymetallic deposits in the world with estimated reserves of more than 110 million tons of ore.

When asked what specific types of rare earth metals could be mined in Azerbaijan, the analyst, citing geologists' research, pointed to the possibility of industrially extracting cadmium, indium, and gallium, which are used in electronics, solar energy, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Since the potential for rare earth metal mining in Azerbaijan is limited and the creation of enterprises for the production of final products is unlikely to be cost-effective, it is possible to send primary processed products to other countries in the region.

Answering the question of whether foreign companies might be interested in rare earth elements in Azerbaijan, Juvarly said that "this is possible in the context of regional integration." "Since the potential for rare earth metal mining in Azerbaijan is limited and the creation of enterprises for the production of final products is unlikely to be cost-effective, it is possible to send primary processed products to other countries in the region, for example, to Kazakhstan, which has substantial reserves of rare earth metals and where such enterprises could potentially be opened," Juvarly explained.

Geochemical mapping and laboratory analysis of samples are currently being conducted, especially in areas cleared of mines.

Fuad Hasanov also noted the absence of separate industrial-scale rare earth metal deposits in Azerbaijan, but rare elements may be present as impurities in the ores of polymetallic deposits. According to him, with the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, opportunities are opening up for more in-depth research of the mineral-rich Gyzylbulag gold-copper deposit and the Damirli copper-molybdenum deposit in the Aghdere district. "Geochemical mapping and laboratory analysis of samples are currently being conducted, especially in areas cleared of mines," the expert noted.

Furthermore, he continued, according to data from the Institute of Geography of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, rare earth elements, which are important for high-tech industries, were discovered during geological studies in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts. In particular, Hasanov emphasized, these are the rare earth elements neodymium, lanthanum, cerium, and terbium. According to research, in certain local areas, their concentrations exceed the average values ​​for the earth's crust by 2-4 times.

He also noted the potential for extracting rare earth metals from the Filizchay deposit in the Zagatala-Balaken zone on the slopes of the Greater Caucasus. "This large polymetallic deposit, along with the main metals, contains reserves of rare and critically important metals: indium, cobalt, bismuth, strontium, gallium, cadmium, and others, which can potentially be developed on an industrial scale," Hasanov said.

According to him, industrial development of the deposit will begin in the next two to three years and will primarily produce zinc and lead, as well as copper, gold, and silver—with the potential for the extraction of rare earth elements. Currently, he emphasized, there is no industrial mining of rare earth metals in Azerbaijan.

According to the expert, AzerGold and Anglo Asian Mining, both gold miners in Azerbaijan, are exploring the possibility of extracting rare elements from ore processing waste. Modern technologies make it possible to extract microscopic amounts of metals using chemical methods, he noted.

Regarding international cooperation in this area, Hasanov reported that Azerbaijan is establishing a partnership with Uzbekistan, specifically developing a program for joint exploration of rare and critical metals and drilling geological wells. Azerbaijan can use rare metals in the development of "green energy," particularly in the production of wind turbines, batteries, etc. However, Hasanov noted that, according to international classification, Azerbaijan is not included in the list of countries with rare earth metals. "According to the USGS (United States Geological Survey), Azerbaijan is not yet on the list of countries with confirmed rare earth element reserves. This is due to the lack of separate, independent rare earth metal deposits. In the country, they are found not as individual ore bodies, but as associated elements in other deposits where gold, copper, iron, and polymetals are mined," the expert stated.

Regarding the estimated reserves of rare earth metals in Azerbaijan, the expert noted that at this stage, it is impossible to provide even approximate figures due to the lack of research on this issue. In general, according to him, in recent years the public has been provided limited information about new geological studies of deposits and discovered recoverable reserves.