YEREVAN. - A new mining transparency project will require the participation of wide circles of public.

Armenian Minster of Justice Davit Harutyunyan said the aforementioned on Tuesday at the kick-off of the ''Support to improvement of capacity building of Armenia for implementing EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) and raising the transparency and accountability of subsoli use permits and contracts'' project.

In his words, the project will be implemented from 2017 to 2018 within the framework of the EITI events and by the funding of the British Embassy.

''In terms of the project implementation, preliminary examination is of significance, which will also enable to identify the existing legislative and institutional basis. The responsible mining center, which will be supported by British experts, will play an important role in this project. We should carry out daily work with the working groups and support the implementation of the project in short period,'' the minister said.

At the meeting, President of American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment Alen Amirkhanian presented the three preliminary conditional stages, within the framework of which the project should be implemented.

UK Ambassador Judith Farnworth, for her part, underscored the importance of raising the public awareness about the mining sector, which is important for the Armenian economy.

The sector-related legislation and peculiarities of granting permits of subsoil use will be studied within the framework of the program. The revelation of the real owners of the enterprises will be another objective.

The objectives of the EITI, which includes 51 countries, include control over financial transparency of extractions and fulfillment of ecological obligations during them.