Information about the Ikar gold-tungsten deposit in the Rushan district of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) will be declassified after the completion of geological exploration and the clarification of mineral reserves, Ilhomjon Oimuhammadzoda, Head of the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan, told reporters in Dushanbe o January 28 in response to a question from Asia-Plus.
According to Oimuhammadzoda, the information will become available to companies directly involved in geological exploration. Public access to this data will "be regulated in accordance with Tajikistan’s legislation," and the final decision to declassify the information will be made under the directive of the country’s president.
He explained that the data is currently classified under Tajik law.
“This is standard practice in the geological sector used worldwide. Classifying information during the early stages of deposit development is necessary to protect investments and safeguard the interests of international investors involved in the project. Such measures help minimize risks and protect the commercial interests associated with developing the deposit,” he clarified.
Presidential directive on declassification
President Emomali Rahmon had earlier instructed that materials on the Ikar deposit be declassified. A corresponding document was published on December 31, 2024, on the Ministry of Justice’s legal information portal. It stated that the declassification aims to “attract foreign investments and introduce new technologies for deposit development.”
Details about the Ikar deposit
The Ikar deposit is located in the Bajoudara River Valley at an altitude of 2,600–3,200 meters, 58 kilometers from GBAO’s capital, Khorog.
It is a complex deposit containing not only tungsten and gold but also cobalt and uranium.
Access to Soviet-Era Geological Data
At the same news conference, Oimuhammadzoda dismissed rumors suggesting that Tajikistan is allegedly denied access to geological data obtained during the Soviet period and stored in Russia. He explained that during the Soviet era, geological research was conducted across various republics, and the resulting data was distributed among different state institutions. Each geological report was preserved in multiple copies: one in local institutes, another in Tajikistan’s Main Geology Directorate archives, and a third in central archives in Russia.
“To date, Tajikistan has full access to all geological data and does not face any information shortages. All reports collected during the Soviet period are in our archives. As for the use of these data in Russia, by law, they cannot be used without Tajikistan’s consent,” he emphasized.
Thus, Tajikistan has all the necessary information about its mineral resources, Oimuhammadzoda concluded.
Salary increase in the geological sector
The chief geologist also noted that the average monthly salary of employees in the sector in 2024 was 2,333 somonis, an increase of 393 somonis compared to the previous year.
