(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Rena Murshud read more Armenia has launched another provocation allegedly publishing
news on suspending works at the Sotk gold mine. According to so
called information in Armenian media, a few days ago, up to 800
workers stopped working, and claimed that they have fled to the
sound of bullets from the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction
of SOTK.
It is significant to note that due that information Azerbaijan
Defense Ministry had refuted the abovementioned information based
on no evidence. Trying to pretend to be right in the matter,
Armenians claim that they left the area as though for security
purpose. At present, most of the workers have stopped working, it
is reported that even 40 of them have left for Russia, Azernews reports.
The Sotk gold mine, known in Azerbaijan as the Zod gold mine is
the largest mine in Azerbaijan and Armenia in terms of pure gold
reserves. It is located in the vicinity of the Sotk village in
Azerbaijan's historical Basarkecher (Vardenis) region and then
Armenia's Gegharkunik Province, and the adjacent part of the
Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan.
According to Azerbaijani officials, 74 percent of the gold mine
lies on Azerbaijani territory.
The mine was discovered in 1951 and has been in operation since
1976. In 1993, during the First Karabakh War, the Kalbajar region
of Azerbaijan (including the Azerbaijani part of the mine) passed
under full control of Armenia and remained so until November 2020.
In 2007, Armenia unilaterally granted the Russian company
GeoProMining the right to exploit the mine. 320,500 tons of gold
ore were mined in 2009, 490,000 tons in 2010, 880,000 tons in 2011.
Between 350 and 400 workers were employed at the mine. The ore has
been processed at the Ararat Gold Extraction Plant, where it is
transported by rail. Pure gold reserves at the mine are estimated
at more than 120 tons. The minimum profitable content of precious
metal in the ore is equal to 0.8 g per ton.
---
Follow Rena Murshud on Twitter: @r enatagiyeva
MENAFN26042023000195011045ID1106101118
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.