«Turdukun Usubaliev passed away without seeing his dream of developing Zhetim-Too come true. This deposit contains 10 billion tons of wealth. At the same time, the construction sector is growing, and large amounts of metal are needed. For example, 15,000 tons of metal were used to build Zhashtyk Arena alone, while we import millions of tons of iron from Russia. I ask you to fulfill Turdukun Usubaliev’s wish and launch the development of Zhetim-Too deposit,» he said, addressing the head of state.

The president emphasized that the government plans to develop Zhetim-Too entirely on its own, following the model of Kumtor gold mine project. However, the initiative requires enormous financial investment.

«A processing plant has to be built there. We should not simply sell raw materials. This will require about $9 billion. However, once launched, the project could pay for itself within 5 — 10 years. We are currently working to secure these funds. If we have enough capacity, we will do it independently. If not, we will consider shared participation with investors — 30/70 or 60/40 — and work jointly,» Sadyr Japarov said.

According to previously announced figures by the president, iron ore reserves at Zhetim-Too currently exceed 5 billion tons. In monetary terms, these reserves are estimated at approximately $50 billion.