Zakir Ibrahimov meets Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan

Zakir Ibrahimov, Chairman of the Executive Board of AzerGold Closed Joint Stock Company met Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Azerbaijan Claudio Taffuri on July 24.

Noting that Azerbaijan-Italy relations have a rich history and are based on friendship and mutual respect, Zakir Ibrahimov pointed out developing economic cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

Negotiations are underway with the well-known Italian company Danieli, which is considered one of the main suppliers of patented technology in the world, within the framework of the project for the exploitation of Dashkasan iron ore deposit and the construction of the relevant infrastructure for the organization of the iron ore production chain, Zakir Ibrahimov mentioned in the meeting.

The Chairman spoke about the Company’s achievements, strategic plans in its fields of activity, and the work accomplished in the mining sector. Zakir Ibrahimov said that the production of HBI (hot briquetted iron) is planned as the final product within the framework of iron ore production and touched on the possibility of exporting this product to Italy and other European countries in the future after meeting the demand of the domestic market. Drawing attention to the active efforts towards the production of HBI on the basis of more environmentally friendly technology, Chairman expressed his hope that amid the requirements of the legislation applied in Europe regarding the environmental impact of production, there will be great interest in this product of Azerbaijan.

Besides, the Chairman gave extensive information about the stages of launching new mines, as well as exploration, feasibility study, design, construction and operation, and announced readiness for cooperation with specialized Italian companies in these stages as well.

AzerGold is currently implementing 3 mining projects, such as Chovdar, Marah and Tulallar gold deposits, as well as 1 iron ore deposit - Southeast mine. In addition, it was emphasized that exploration and research works are underway in the existing gold, copper and other non-ferrous metal fields in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Kalbajar and Balakan districts.

Saying that Azerbaijan is an important partner for Italy, Claudio Taffuri noted that Azerbaijan plays an essential role in ensuring the energy security of his country.

Emphasizing the importance of exchanging ideas on the establishment of joint activities in the field of mining as a new direction of cooperation between the two countries, the ambassador expressed his interest in getting acquainted with the production activities of AzerGold CJSC. In this regard, an agreement was reached on the organization of a familiarization visit to the Chovdar Integrated Regional Processing Area of the CJSC located in the Dashkasan district in the coming months. Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.