Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the opening ceremony of the “Armenia Mining Forum 2025” in Tsaghkadzor. The two-day forum is attended by representatives of the Government, the mining industry, local and international specialists, investors, experts, etc.
Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the attendees and noted that the forum is a good platform to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the sector. “Here we have both serious opportunities and challenges. I think the platform is an opportunity, including for the Government, to discuss all issues with the representatives of the sector in such a long-term working format. In general, when we say mining in Armenia, we mainly understand the exploitation of metal mines, and this is somewhat understandable, because in fact, 95 and more percent of the sector relates to the exploitation of metal mines. But in reality, there are problems in this reality as well. I must emphasize that the Government is facing very serious problems in this context, for example, in the field of exploitation of non-metallic mines. When construction in Armenia, as well as subsidy programs, and direct investments of the Government in the regions, gained momentum, we were surprised to note that there is a deficit of stone in Armenia.” In this context, the Prime Minister emphasized that stone is imported from abroad to implement subsidy programs in communities, which in itself already shows that there are problems and, in particular, there is work to be done in the field of stone processing and extraction. According to Nikol Pashinyan, this is, first of all, the potential of the Armenian economy and, secondly, the opportunity to present Armenia.
In his speech, the Prime Minister also emphasized the transparency and professionalism of the sector: “We have huge problems in the sand industry, because this is one of the sectors where there is a serious problem of transparency. We have difficulties in solving these problems, including because when we are willing to take decisive steps, we quickly feel pressure due to these volumes of construction, because it turns out that if we bring everything to standard, construction in Armenia will simply stop for a rather long time, because there is a huge shadow in the sand sector,” the Prime Minister said, adding that this shadow travels along our streets and highways every day, but we have not found ways to deal with this shadow.
Nikol Pashinyan stressed that this is a serious challenge and we are dealing with state security phenomena and problems of violation of territorial integrity here, because it turns out that by extracting sand from the Araks River, we are reducing the territory of our country. “It’s not us, it’s those who do it, and we don’t have many effective countermeasures here.”
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The Prime Minister also touched upon the issue related to the image of the sector and noted that many questions have accumulated here for objective and subjective reasons. According to Nikol Pashinyan, it must be admitted that there is a lot of negativity accumulated around the mining sector, and its reasons must be understood. “Although, during this time, we have also somewhat understood the reasons for the negativity, because it is obvious that the subsoil belongs to the state and the people. The problem here is that in the public consciousness of Armenia, this perception that the subsoil belongs to the people and the state has not seemed so true and it is time for us to work on this issue. And we are working on this issue. I want to draw attention only to the fact that now the Government of Armenia and, in the person of the Government, also the people, in fact, have a share in the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, have a share in the Amulsar mine. This is very important. I also want to emphasize that we made a very important change to the law on the budget system regarding the allocation of 2% of mining royalties to affected communities. This may seem symbolic to some extent, but the important thing is the introduction of the mechanism, because this mechanism will also develop over time.”
Pashinyan also emphasized that in 2018-2025, the payments made by the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine to the state budget increased by about 148% compared to the previous seven years, that is, more than twice. According to the Prime Minister, this not only means that the Government is increasing revenues to the state budget, but also means that people are being instilled with the awareness that the subsoil belongs to the people, and the people and the state receive greater benefits from it. “Ultimately, these payments become roads, these payments become schools, these payments become kindergartens, these payments become security, etc.,” the Prime Minister said.
Next, Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the issue of bringing the mining industry in Armenia into line with the best international environmental standards, emphasizing its priority and the work being carried out in this direction. The Prime Minister emphasized that these issues will also be included in the agenda of the COP 17 World Summit on Biodiversity to be held in Armenia next year.
The Prime Minister noted that the mining industry is a knowledge-based sector and added that effective mining requires high-quality specialists in many areas: highly qualified engineers, chemists, surveyors, geologists, etc. “I mean that the mining industry is a locomotive of education, the mining industry is also a locomotive of the economy, because many other economic entities work to exploit the mine and many other forms of activity are developing. I just want us to also draw attention to the fact that the mining industry provides very large and good opportunities for people to make a professional career within Armenia. And the more we raise the standard of our mining industry, the more highly qualified specialists will work in the sector. But I mean that there is also a great demand for highly qualified craftsmen in the sector, there is a great demand for a highly qualified workforce, etc.” Speaking about the social side of the mining industry, the Prime Minister noted that with this work people can ensure a higher level of well-being.
Nikol Pashinyan also touched upon the compliance of the mining industry with high standards, noting that the next strategic task in the mining industry is the extension of the industrial chain, around which the sector and the Government should closely cooperate. “That means additional jobs, that means additional revenues for the state budget, that means the need for additional highly qualified specialists, that means additional investments in the economy and education sectors, that means a new level of well-being,” the Prime Minister said.
According to the Prime Minister, upcoming processes, including regional ones, will make the environment more favorable, because the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the expected opening of regional infrastructure will open up new opportunities in this sector.
Regarding the issue of having a copper smelter in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan noted: “I must draw the attention of our fellow ministers and esteemed representatives of the sector to this issue, because yes, the export of copper ore is of great importance to our country, of course, to our economy, but we ultimately need to think about what we can do to make the agreement of having an effective copper smelter in Armenia a reality.”
In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan also emphasized the importance of starting a new round of discovery and study of mineral resources in Armenia, with the introduction of effective technologies for studying the subsoil.
Summing up, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the mining industry forum will become one of the forums that will generate answers to these questions for the sector, the public and the Government, because giving the most accurate answers to these questions and offering the most accurate and effective solutions means different levels of development of Armenia. “Mining is the sector where we must work without interruption, that is, consistently, and it is this consistency that will bring the effects we want to see with sufficient speed. And, of course, all these issues are among the priorities of the Government, and the thoughts, ideas, projects, and solutions formed on such platforms, I am sure, will serve, among other things, in conducting more effective policies by the Government.”
The prospects for the development of the mining industry, the investment environment and global trends in sustainable development are subject of discussion within the framework of the forum. Panel discussions, memorandum signings, and exhibitions will be held.
The Office to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia