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Transforming Armenia from a raw mineral exporter into a producer of finished goods is a strategic priority, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday at a forum on the mining industry.
Speaking at the Mining Armenia 2025 forum, the PM emphasized that to achieve this goal, the government and mining companies must find ways to closely cooperate.
“Actually, it is a significant problem for us that we mostly have to export raw minerals. We need to develop the industry in a way that extends the mineral processing chain as much as possible and brings it closer to final product manufacturing. This would mean additional jobs, additional revenue for the state budget, a need for more highly qualified professionals, additional investment in the economy and education sectors, and a new level of prosperity,” he said.
PM Pashinyan expressed hope that upcoming developments—including regional ones—will create a more favorable environment for these goals.
“The establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the anticipated opening of regional transport infrastructure—which will definitely happen in the near future—will open new opportunities for us in this sector.
I want to draw the attention of our fellow ministers and esteemed industry representatives to this issue, because yes, copper ore exports are of great importance to our economy. But we must ultimately think about what can be done to turn the agreement on establishing an efficient copper smelter in Armenia into reality.
And even that is not the end of the chain. If we are already producing ingots or metal, we must think about further extending the chain so that copper products—or products that widely use copper—are also made here in industrial platforms.
The same applies to gold. This is another issue of paramount importance,” said the Armenian Prime Minister.