The future of Armenia’s mining industry is very bright. Andrew Thake, Divisional Director for the mining portfolio at Beacon Events and the head of a number of leading international conferences of industry leaders, on Saturday told this to reporters on the sidelines of the Mining Armenia Forum 2026 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

In his assessment, the number of new mining companies in Armenia will gradually increase, and they will be enterprises operating on the principles of sustainability, which will bring tangible benefits to local communities.

Thake called on foreign stakeholders to take a closer look at Armenia.

What they have seen in the past few days is evidence of the sincere aspiration of the Armenian people to develop the mining industry. Currently, the mining sector accounts for 5% of Armenia’s GDP. There is a clear plan that will enable this indicator to be increased to 10%, Thake said, adding that in his opinion, this is an important record and a great opportunity for the country.

He noted that Armenia is of great interest to them as a platform for the development of the mining industry, as well as the regulatory and legal framework operating in the country is extremely appealing.

In the context of sustainable development, everything comes down to trust. Global experience shows that if mining projects manage to gain the trust of the local population and communities, then these projects are successfully implemented. If Armenia follows this path, success awaits it, Andrew Thake emphasized.

He added that the Armenian government and representatives of the mining industry are actively implementing the most stringent standards of sustainable development.

The co-organizers of Mining Armenia Forum 2026 are the Mining Forum Development Foundation and the Armenian Mining and Metallurgy Association. The strategic sponsors of the forum, which is being held for the third time, are the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine and the Lydian Armenia company, and the main sponsors are Ameriabank and Teghout CJSC.