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Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar conducted a intensive series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the OECD Critical Minerals Forum in Istanbul on Tuesday, holding talks with counterparts from Egypt, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia as Türkiye moves to position itself as a hub for mining investment and energy partnership.
The back-to-back diplomatic sessions, which Bayraktar shared on his social media accounts, spanned a broad arc of countries spanning the Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America and North Africa.
The forum, organized by the OECD Istanbul Centre and co-hosted by the Government of Türkiye, brought together ministers and senior officials from both OECD member and non-member countries to address shared challenges in critical mineral supply chains.
Bayraktar met with Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi to review the current state of bilateral relations in energy, with a focus on hydrocarbons and mining, and to map out prospects for future cooperation.
With Peru's Environment Minister Nelly Paredes del Castillo, discussions centered on pairing Peru's extensive underground resource base with Türkiye's established mining sector.
"We addressed topics where we can bring together Peru's rich underground resources with Türkiye's experience in mining," Bayraktar said, adding that both sides consulted on converting that shared wealth "into concrete cooperation in the areas of joint production, investment and technology development."
In his meeting with Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Affairs Akyl Toktobaev, Bayraktar said the two sides discussed a roadmap for launching concrete mining projects, specifically those to be led by state-owned enterprises.
Bayraktar's talks with Morocco's Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali addressed the two countries' priorities within the context of rising energy demand, supply security and sustainable transition goals.
"I believe that our dialogue in the areas of renewable energy, natural gas infrastructure and new-generation energy technologies will translate into concrete projects," he said.
Morocco has in recent years emerged as a significant player in the global energy transition, both as a producer of phosphates, a key input in fertilizers and battery materials, and as an increasingly ambitious developer of solar and wind capacity.
The bilateral exchange reflects a broader effort to align complementary national strategies across the Mediterranean.
Bayraktar also met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bander bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, reviewing the current state of their mining cooperation, with critical minerals at the forefront. The two sides examined new dynamics developing along the axes of investment, technology and supply chains.
Bayraktar said he believed the deepening energy dialogue between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia would further solidify into "long-term, high-value-added partnerships." The meeting reflects a broader trend of Gulf states expanding their footprint in the global minerals sector, with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy placing heavy emphasis on developing its own mining sector and diversifying away from oil revenues.
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