Wednesday, July 14 2021 13:24

ArmInfo.The security forces again came to search the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSC (ZCMC).

The building of the plant is cordoned off, the activity is suspended.  The media reported on the arrest of a security officer at the plant  by the "red berets" of the police and representatives of the National  Security Service of the Republic of Armenia.

To note, the first searches at the mining enterprise were carried  out on July 9.

Let us also note that on July 13, during a press conference in  Yerevan, deputy director of the plant, one of the leaders of the  opposition "Armenia" bloc Vahe Hakobyanu, said that the authorities  were undermining the activities of the plant.  "The armed security  forces left the territory of the plant only yesterday. They came to  the plant in full ammunition, apparently they confused our building  with the" Black Lake "(the armed formations of Azerbaijan have been  illegally located there for more than two months, Ed. note). In  addition, 40 wagons with copper and molybdenum concentrate have been  standing at the border for several days. The budget of Armenia has  already lost about $ 20 million, "he stressed. Hakobyan also said  that the employees of the SRC, without any explanation, do not allow  exporting the products of the Combine.  And in the company's official  statement, circulated on the same day, it is reported that the  Combine had to unload 140,000 kg of ferromolybdenum back, the export  of which was suspended for an indefinite period.

At the same time, a more serious situation is with the export of  copper concentrate, which has already been loaded into 75 wagons in  anticipation of a delayed permission from the customs authorities. At  the same time, it was noted that the company has fulfilled all the  payment requirements stipulated by the law, however, the SRC has not  yet granted a permit (license) for the export of products.

To recall, on June 15, RA acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,  during the election campaign in Syunik region, at a meeting with  residents of Kajaran, noted that he was informed that workers of ZMMC  were banned from participating in his rallies under the threat of  dismissal.  The acting prime minister promised by July 15 to dismiss  everyone who prevented citizens from participating in his rally and  assured that the Armenian people would have a share of the company.

After that, the company issued a statement in which it emphasized  that it intends to apply to the law enforcement agencies of Armenia  in connection with the statements, addressed to the company by RA  cting Prime Minister, candidate for prime minister from the "Civil  Contract" party Nikol Pashinyan, and defend their rights in national  and international instances.

To note, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSC (ZCMC) is the  largest mining company in Armenia. The company's shareholders are  officially the German company Cronimet Mining (60%), Yerevan Pure  Iron Plant OJSC (15%), Armenian Molybdenum Production LLC and  Zangezur Mining LLC (12.5% each). However, some experts, having  checked the information, considered it incomplete and not  transparent, since the structure of minority shareholders is not  clear. There was information in the press about the presence of  interests in it on the part of family members of third President of  Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who resigned after the "velvet revolution". A  number of Armenian parliamentarians appealed to the relevant bodies  with a demand to start an investigation into the fact how rather  "modest" persons, especially close to the family of the former  president, began to own the multimillion-dollar assets of the  company. Adding that on July 12, the Armenian government decided to  establish a state duty of 15% of the international price for the  issuance of licenses, permits and certificates for the export of raw  materials, in particular ferromolybdenum, copper concentrate and  molybdenum to third countries, provided that high international  prices for the last. Given the preservation of export volumes, at the  proposed rates of the state duty, in general, yo-y revenues to the  budget will amount to about 72 billion drams. According to the  Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, these changes are  carried out with the aim of directing high profits from the  exploitation of the country's subsoil to the development of strategic  assets of the processing industry and the mining sector, deepening  production chains, stimulating more efficient operation of mines and  increasing the productivity of existing responsible mining industry,  reducing harmful emissions as much as possible. "Today, excess  profits are generated in the sphere, which, according to the  Ministry's research, is taxed ineffectively," the statement said.