Photo: tolonews.com
ERG Exploration, a subsidiary of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), intends to conduct geological exploration in Afghanistan, according to a statement from the Kazakh government’s press service.
“At present, ERG Exploration is in talks with the Afghan side to obtain additional geological data. Once the necessary studies are completed, ERG plans to join geological exploration projects in Afghanistan,” the statement said.
ERG Exploration is ERG’s in-house geological exploration company. In addition to it, another Kazakh company, Kazakhmys Barlau (part of the Kazakhmys corporation), has shown interest in Afghanistan’s mineral resources. Together with Kazatomprom, it carried out two geological missions in the country, during which deposits of beryllium and lead were studied. Following these missions, Kazakhmys Barlau began exploration at a mineral site in Laghman Province.
The main owner of the copper mining corporation Kazakhmys is Vladimir Kim, who ranks third on Forbes’ list of Kazakhstan’s richest people with an estimated fortune of $5.7 billion.
ERG is an international group of companies engaged in the extraction and processing of mineral resources. Its main shareholder, with a 40 percent stake, is the government of Kazakhstan. Entrepreneur Patokh Shodiyev owns 18.6 percent, while the heirs of Alexander Mashkevich (who died in March 2025) and the Ibragimov family each hold 20.7 percent.
Earlier this spring, a team of geologists and engineers from Kazakhstan visited Afghanistan with the support of the Afghan Ministry of Mining and Petroleum to inspect several deposits.
According to Iran Sharkhan, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Construction, the specialists collected 130 kilograms of ore samples in Nuristan Province from potential deposits containing beryllium, lead, and zinc. The samples were sent to Kazakhstan for detailed laboratory analysis. After receiving the results, the Kazakh side was ready to proceed “to a deeper format of negotiations for further field development.”
