Türkiye and France eye critical minerals cooperation

Türkiye and France are advancing discussions on stronger cooperation in critical minerals, aiming to secure supply chains for clean energy, advanced technologies, and industrial production. Benjamin Gallezot, France’s interministerial delegate for strategic minerals and metals supplies, told Anadolu that the OECD Critical Minerals Forum in Istanbul last April provided an important platform to expand dialogue.

Türkiye’s industrial and resource potential

Gallezot stated: “We need more critical minerals in the future to support industrial development around the world. The resources exist, the skills are here, but we have to develop this resource — and to do that cooperation is very important.” He described Türkiye as “a very important country considering its industrial capacity but also its natural resources.” He met Turkish officials in Istanbul to discuss potential cooperation, which could include technology transfer, technical partnerships, and project financing. Several French institutions have already invested in Türkiye’s critical minerals sector.

Diversification and G7 presidency

France currently holds the G7 presidency, and Gallezot said a priority is strengthening dialogue between G7 and partner nations on critical minerals policies. “You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Diversification is the key to supply policy, whether in energy or critical minerals,” he noted. France is developing one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits in central France, potentially powering 700,000 electric vehicles annually. Gallezot added: “International cooperation is essential because you need to bring together resources, technology, expertise and financing. That requires the efforts of many countries.”