Nikol Pashinyan announced the beginning of environmental inspections  at mines and mineral deposits in Armenia

ArmInfo. "In the near future, I will instruct the authorities to start inspections on the exploited mines and mineral deposits in Armenia," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on his Facebook page.

He noted that recently there have been a lot of signals about the  compliance of these mines with the legislation and environmental  standards of the country. "We will be consistent in this matter,  recently, both in the whole world and in Armenia environmental  problems are actively discussed, and a balanced approach is needed in  this issue, as well as in a number of others," the prime minister  said, stressing that only with this approach will not manage to bring  the matter to negative consequences, including those related to  investments.

Pashinyan also noted that recently he receives signals that some  developers of mines do not fulfill their financial obligations. "We  have information that the debts of these companies on the state  budget are several hundred million drams," Pashinyan said, adding  that the checks will be carried out on all metal fields, "the prime  minister said or another mine or some company can not organize its  activities within the law, then the corresponding legal consequences  will follow. "The Armenian government also decided to invite  environmental organizations and journalists to take part in the  inspections to ensure their full transparency," concluded Pashinyan.

The sphere of mining industry occupies a special place in the  Armenian economy. At least half of the materials exported from  Armenia fall on the share of ore concentrates and metals, which  occupy the most important place in the list of products imported from  the country. The State Balance of Mineral Resources currently  includes more than 670 deposits of solid minerals with proven  reserves, including 30 metal deposits. About 400 of these deposits  are exploited, including 22 metal ones. There are 7 copper-  molybdenum deposits, 4 copper, 14 gold and gold-polymetallic  deposits, 2 iron ore and 1 aluminum ore on metallic minerals. In the  ore of the deposits registered in the State Balance, in addition to  the basic metals, rare elements and their placers have been  identified: rhenium, selenium, tellurium, cadmium, indium, helium,  waist, bismuth and others.

Currently, for the mining and metallurgical complex of Armenia the  final products are mainly concentrates (copper, molybdenum, zinc, in  some cases - high in gold and silver, in the near future - also lead  concentrate), which does not allow to fully exploit the economic  potential of deposits. The organization of production for processing  of minerals mined in Armenia in a closed and final cycle - from  extraction to the creation of finished products, will give an  opportunity to obtain products with high cost, which will ensure GDP  growth.

There are 15 tailing dumps on the territory of Armenia, where waste  accumulated during the exploitation of mineral deposits exceeding a  few million cubic meters and accumulating about 700 hectares has been  accumulated. Currently, industrial wastes accumulated in tailing  dumps formed as a result of industrial extraction and processing of  minerals are not used, although they contain a considerable amount of  polymetals.

The Republic of Armenia occupies one of the leading places in the  world for the richness and diversity of nonmetallic ore reserves.  Almost all known ore minerals are found on the small territory of  Armenia.  Minerals originating in Armenia as a result of volcanic  processes, including light rocks such as tuffs, perlites, pumice,  zeolites, volcanic slags, etc., are of special value and importance.  Huge quantities of reserves of various types of basalt, granite,  nepheline syenite, marble. Reserves of the highest quality and the  most intumescent rocks (perlites, obsidians and others) are in the  world in Armenia. The confirmed reserves of the Aragats-perlite in  Armenia are 150 million m3, and the total amount of its projected  reserves is up to 3 billion m3. More than 100 basalt and andesite  deposits are mapped over the whole territory of Armenia, several of  which are unique in their composition (MgO content in basalta from  Khalaja reaches up to 11%). The deposits of quartzites, carbonates,  zeolites, volcanic slags, pumice, clay, bentonites, diatomites, and  gypsum with their significant reserves are invaluable in terms of  their significance and qualitative indicators.