YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan, the Anticorruption Council met on March 22 at the Government.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, the meeting first reviewed the findings of a survey, implemented by Transparency International Anticorruption Center NGO and referred to as Assessment of Corruption Risks in the Field of Granting Subsoil Management Rights. According to the speaker, the main problems include the clarification of geological, environmental impact assessment procedures, inadequate information on the use of subsoil in the decision-making process, etc. The report also featured recommendations developed within the framework of the survey, improvement of impact expertise processes, mining transparency and accountability mechanisms, etc. During the exchange of views that followed, the Council members voiced their comments and observations on the findings of the aforementioned survey and proposed specific solutions.

The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Energy infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia to involve, if necessary, representatives of other agencies in the discussions of those questions raised at the meeting and submit proposals.

The draft Roadmap for Disclosure of Real Owners of Metal Ore Mining Companies was next introduced at the meeting. The roadmap has been developed under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Note that Armenia has been a candidate country for EITI membership since March, 2017.

The roadmap envisages the following activities to be carried out in 2018-2019: shaping a legal and institutional framework for disclosure of real owners of extracting entities, data collection and verification, establishing a public registry of real owners, capacity building and awareness raising measures.

Prime Minister Karapetyan instructed the Chief of Government Staff to submit within three days the draft roadmap of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative for discussion at the Cabinet sitting, as well as present the composition of the working group, which shall be headed by the Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources and consist of civil society and business sector representatives.
 

English –translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan