The Mittag-Leffler theorem for proper minimal surfaces and directed meromorphic curves

We establish a Mittag-Leffler-type theorem with approximation and interpolation for meromorphic curves $M\to \mathbb{C}^n$ ($n\geq 3$) directed by Oka cones in $\mathbb{C}^n$ on any open Riemann surface $M$. We derive a result of the same type for proper conformal minimal immersions $M\to \mathbb{R}^n$. This includes interpolation in the poles and approximation by embeddings, the latter if $n\ge 5$ in the case of minimal surfaces. As applications, we show that complete minimal ends of finite total curvature in $\mathbb{R}^5$ are generically embedded, and characterize those open Riemann surfaces which are the complex structure of a proper minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ of weak finite total curvature.