YEREVAN.- During the coming 12 years 400-hectare forest will be planted near Teghut’s copper-molybdenum deposit in Armenia, Armenia’s Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutunyan told reporters on Monday.

The newly planted forest will replace the 180 hectare wood which is going to be cut in order to carry out open-pit mining operations in the area.

“We will be informed about the reforestation works. We will decide on the territories in Teghut and neighboring communities which need to be planted,” the minister announced.

To remind, Teghut’s deposit contains Armenia’s second largest copper reserve (1.5 million tons). It also contains around 100 thousand tons molybdenum. Mining works are planned to be started in the area in the end of the 1st quarter of 2012.