Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister: “We Didn’t Sell Rare Earth Elements to the U.S.”

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar addressed the Turkish Parliament’s Planning and Budget Committee, responding to questions and criticism about Turkey’s mining policies and the sale of rare earth elements. Bayraktar firmly denied the allegations, stating, “We didn’t give the U.S. any rare earth elements. What we signed was a nuclear-related agreement.”

“Turkey Has Not Become a Mining Field”

Responding to claims that the entire country has been turned into a mining zone, Bayraktar emphasized that this is not true. “We canceled around 97,000 licenses, leaving only 8,000 valid ones. The total area of active mining sites across Turkey is just one-thousandth of the country’s surface, about 783 square kilometers,” he said.

A New Era in Mining Legislation

Bayraktar highlighted that Turkey remains a net importer of mining products, despite having the world’s seventh-largest mineral wealth. He described the recent mining law passed by Parliament as “historic,” explaining that it aims to attract investment and strengthen environmental rehabilitation efforts.
“We almost doubled the rehabilitation budget for mining areas. With gold prices exceeding $4,000 per ounce, we increased the state’s royalty share on gold to 25%. Whether domestic or foreign, any gold producer must now give about one-third of their production—31.25%—as a state right. When you add corporate taxes and social contributions, it’s a very significant arrangement,” he said.

Turkey’s Ambition: Top 5 in Rare Earth Elements

Bayraktar also spoke about Turkey’s rare earth element potential, recalling that exploration began in 2011. “In Beylikova, we discovered 694 million tons of rare earth elements. For years, we have been saying that Turkey will rank among the world’s top five countries in this field. We are working toward that goal and are planning to establish a pilot production facility,” he added.

Transparency in Energy Policy

Concluding his remarks, Bayraktar stressed transparency and accountability: “If there were any agreements related to rare earth elements, we would openly share them. There’s nothing to hide.”

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