(AseanAll)  — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, together with 14 critical raw mineral producing countries from various continents, has held the inaugural Critical Raw Mineral Producing Countries (CRM) Dialogue in Jakarta, Indonesia on June 5, 2025.

This dialogue was initiated as a collaborative platform to exchange views, experiences, and best practices related to critical minerals, acknowledging that although these countries hold an increasingly important and significant position in the global economy due to their critical mineral reserves, they also face common challenges in maximizing the potential benefits of these resources. In this context, the delegates focused the discussion on two main issues, namely strengthening capacity to add value to raw minerals and enhancing international coordination.

"As a developing country blessed with significant critical mineral reserves, we are increasingly playing an important role in the global economy." Currently, most of the world's critical mineral supply is in developing countries like ours, while global demand continues to increase along with the acceleration of the world's transition to clean energy. This presents an important opportunity to transform our economy — shifting from the export of raw commodities to high-value-added production through downstream industries, which will ultimately support broader economic growth and development. However, we also face common challenges, including limited access to technology and financing, infrastructure shortages, lack of skills, and the complexity of dealing with global standards and trade regulations that are often restrictive. In this context, it is very important for developing countries rich in critical minerals to form a dialogue platform — to share experiences, exchange best practices, and build mutual understanding in order to participate more fairly in the global supply chain,” said the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Arif Havas Oegroseno.

The Chairman of the National Economic Council of the Republic of Indonesia, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, also emphasized the importance of leveraging this momentum to strengthen economic transformation efforts. "Indonesia views CRM as a strategic advantage to promote national interests." "Through this dialogue, we hope to strengthen coordination, share experiences, and explore opportunities to promote collaboration within the framework of South-South cooperation," said Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

The delegates agreed that the CRM Dialogue needs to be followed up with a concrete and impactful action plan, including capacity building and enhanced international cooperation. Furthermore, the delegates also emphasized the importance of continuing this dialogue mechanism in an inclusive, equitable, and mutually beneficial manner for all stakeholders.

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia also expresses appreciation to all partners who have contributed to the success of the inaugural CRM Dialogue meeting, including the Indonesian Nickel Miners Association (APNI), PT Vale Indonesia, and Winning Group, for their support and collaboration that enabled meaningful idea exchanges and strengthened the spirit of partnership during the Dialogue.