Central Asia's new silk route -investment pathways to mineral profits

Abstract

This paper reports on significant changes in the legal regimes for mineral-sector investments in Kazakstan and Uzbekistan. It focuses specifically on the important changes underway in Kazak-stan's legal regime for licensing mineral exploration and development rights, the approval of Kazak-Foreign joint ventures, privatizing Kazakstani mineral-sector enterprises and the rules generally applicable to foreign investment. The administrative law principles discussed are informative of the situation in Uzbekistan, as the two countries have similar legal-administrative regimes for mineral sector investments.