Zod gold mine

The Zod gold mine[1][2] (Azerbaijani: Zod qızıl yatağı; presently known in Armenia as the Sotk gold mine, Armenian: Սոթքի ոսկու հանքավայր) is the largest mine in Azerbaijan and Armenia in terms of pure gold reserves. It is located in the vicinity of Sotk (formerly Zod), Armenia, and in the adjacent part of the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan,[1] with 76% of the mine located in Azerbaijan and 24% in Armenia.[3] Pure gold reserves at the mine are estimated at more than 120 tons[4] The minimum profitable content of precious metal in the ore is equal to 0.8 g per ton.

History

The mine was discovered in 1951 and has been in operation since 1976[5] In 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan (including the Azerbaijani part of the mine) passed under full control of Armenia and remained so until November 2020 (de jure continuing to be part of Azerbaijan). In 2007, Armenia unilaterally granted the Russian company GeoProMining the right to exploit the mine.[6] 320,500 tons of gold ore were mined in 2009, 490,000 tons in 2010, 880,000 tons in 2011.[7] Between 350 and 400 workers were employed at the mine.[8][9][10][11] The ore has been processed at the Ararat Gold Extraction Plant, where it is transported by rail.[12]

The Zod mine on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan in a satellite image taken by Sentinel-2 on 14 November 2020. The red line marks the border between Armenia (left) and Azerbaijan (right)

When the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war began on 27 September, GeoProMining temporarily suspended the operation of the mine.[13] On 25 November 2020, units of the armed forces of Azerbaijan, in accordance with the statement signed by the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Russia following the conflict, entered the Kalbajar District, by then evacuated by the Armenian troops. Engineering works and demining were carried out as the Azerbaijani units advanced.[14] The next day, Hakob Avetyan, the head of the Armenian community of Geghamasar, adjacent to Azerbaijan, reported that the Azerbaijani military had entered the mine. According to him, the Azerbaijanis had arrived without shooting and demanded that the territory be liberated, followed by negotiations. Mine employees began to leave the territory though no threats had been made, according to Avetyan.[15] On the evening of that day, it was announced that representatives of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan had begun carrying out delimitation works using GPS technology to determine where the state border lay.[16] The Azerbaijani troops set three military posts on the Azerbaijani side of the mine. On 27 November, after lengthy negotiations between the Azerbaijani military and representatives of GeoProMining, the company employees left the Azerbaijani section of the mine.[17]

References
  1. Азербайджанская ССР. Экономико-географическая характеристика. М.: Государственное издательство географической литературы. 1957. p. 54.
  2. Азербайджанский клондайк: армяне должны возместить ущерб от эксплуатации месторождений в Карабахе
  3. "Азербайджан приступит к разведке на Зодском золоторудном месторождении". Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  4. "Запасы составляют 120 тонн золота | 11/09/2010 16:51 Нагорного Карабаха". Archived from the original on 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  5. "Азербайджанский клондайк: армяне должны возместить ущерб от эксплуатации месторождений в Карабахе". Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  6. "Assets in Armenia". GeoProMining. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  7. GPM GOLD планирует увеличить в Армении годовой объем производства золото до 150 тысяч унций с 2014 года
  8. Aurum79.ru — Разведанные запасы золота в месторождениях Армении составляют около 268 тонн
  9. Глава Контрольной палаты Армении выдвинул обвинения против компании «ГеоПроМайнинг Голд»
  10. "Министр энергетики и природных ресурсов Армении: "Geopromining Gold" не нарушал законы страны". Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  11. «GeoProMining» расширяет свою деятельность
  12. ГеоПромайнинг переоценит Соткское месторождение
  13. "В результате агрессии Азербайджана компания с российским капиталом прекратила работы в Варденисе". Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  14. Подразделения Азербайджанской Армии вошли в Кельбаджарский район
  15. Депутат и префект Сотка заявляют о проникновении азербайджанских военных на золотоносный рудник. Ранее Минобороны и правительство Армении эту информацию опровергли
  16. ВС Армении и Азербайджана разместят свои посты по границам, уточненным в результате делимитации – Минобороны
  17. В Ереване ответили на сообщения о нарушении границы армией Азербайджана

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