Russia proposes to create a platform for coordinating activities in the field of solid mineral production, similar to the oil OPEC. The proposal was made by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia, Alexander Kozlov, at the Future Minerals Forum, which is taking place in Saudi Arabia. In addition to Russia, participants from Africa and the Middle East have been invited to the platform.
OPEC was created to help relatively poor and dependent member countries control and influence not only oil prices, but also the global economy and
politics in general. Over the past 50 years, it has successfully achieved this goal. Starting
in 2016, OPEC+ expanded its cooperation, including Russia.
Considering the
specific features of OPEC, the proposal by the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, Alexander Kozlov, at the industry forum attracted attention.
The statement of the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia was commented on by the executive director of the Association of Miners of Russia Anatoly Nikitin:
“The initiative with a consultative platform on issues of
exploration, extraction and processing of critical types of mineral raw materials is obviously a politically correct move, and with proper organization, will not only help a number of
countries, including Russia, to strengthen their positions in the economy, but will generally influence the
global agenda. An important condition is the stake we place on
the extraction of rare and rare earth metals and the development of the Far East. And this includes
attention to geological exploration, and the development of infrastructure, and the emergence of
investment maps, which we have repeatedly talked about last year.
Nevertheless, on behalf of the Association, we must say that
the loud theses about “a 100-year reserve of REE”, picked up by the media, require clarification
already in the area of extraction and development, as well as elaboration of details both at the level of
relevant ministries, regional leaders, and from the position of
enterprises participating in the market.
From this follows another important message,
which was voiced in Saudi Arabia, – Russia’s readiness for the transfer
of technologies. Thus, the association should have a clear
technological basis.”