In Armenia, it is necessary to tighten oversight over activities in border mines. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Asatur Vardanyan during the National Assembly meeting on Tuesday, while debating — in the second and final reading — on the package of draft laws on “Amendments and Additions to the Law on the Subsoil of the Republic of Armenia” and related laws.

Thus, when submitting applications to conduct surveys or mining operations in the border zone of Armenia, approval from the National Security Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense will be mandatory, and in customs-controlled zones, approval from the customs authority will also be required.

Essentially, this concerns tightening regulations on mining activities in Armenia’s border zones and along border rivers. “In addition, it is proposed to impose a complete ban on extracting sand from the beds of border rivers, including sand-gravel mixtures and sand-gravel cobbles. Violating these requirements will incur a fine of 20 million drams. At the same time, in the case of a repeated violation, the right to use the subsoil will be completely revoked,” Vardanyan explained.

These measures, according to the deputy minister, are aimed at preventing risks of changes in riverbeds, including the Araks River. They are also intended to reduce risks to border ecosystems and security.

Illegal sand and gravel extraction has increased in Armenia due to tax incentives for the construction of new multi-story residential buildings in the country. As a result, there is now a risk of flooding in the case of the Araks River.