The legislation of the country allows solving environmental problems of the mining industry, the ex-minister of Ecology of Armenia, Advisor to the Director of the Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences Sarkis Shahazizyan told reporters on Thursday.

According to him, the mining industry can be a threat only when environmental standards are violated, but the problems here are not in the legal plane.

 “The legal framework allows us to resolve this issue and reduce risks. If state bodies will use it and quickly stop any violations, then a normal situation can be achieved. Any enterprise operating in this industry should conduct timely restoration, and the state is obliged to monitor this. If the enterprise does not carry out reclamation, then the state can levy fines or fees and organize it independently,” he noted.

The expert noted that talking about the need to abandon the mining industry is short-sighted, since this is a very important sector of the economy, and with a competent approach, completely different results can be achieved.

“If at least 20-30% of what was mined, used and processed in Armenia, our state budget would have completely different indicators,” Sargis Shahazizyan concluded.