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A significant part of the rich mineral deposits of our country are located in the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia in 1991-1993 and liberated in 2020 by our victorious Army under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev. According to the 1991 Geological Information Archive of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and open sources, there are more than 70 non-ferrous metals, including precious metals, in the occupied territories for nearly 30 years. Pre-occupation geological data collected on metals confirmed that many of these deposits had large industrial reserves. In particular, gold, silver, copper and molybdenum reserves in the occupied territories of Kalbajar, Zangilan and Tartar regions have been intensively plundered by foreign investors and Armenian businessmen since the mid-1990s. Illegal economic dividends from illegal production and sales have played an important role in financing Armenia, especially the so-called regime. Thus, the economic and state interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been seriously damaged.

The reserves of these fields, which are currently under the control of our country, will be re-evaluated and the relevant government agencies will calculate the amount of damage caused to Azerbaijan as a result of illegal production. In turn, AzerGold CJSC has paid special attention to the facts of illegal exploitation since its inception. Relevant investigations were carried out by the CJSC in order to give a legal assessment to the actions of a number of Armenian and European companies that organize and carry out illegal production of non-ferrous metals in the occupied territories. The materials obtained in this regard were submitted to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan instructed the Investigation Department for Serious Crimes of the Prosecutor General's Office to conduct a preliminary investigation on these facts under Articles 192.2.3 (illegal entrepreneurship) and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code.

To ensure the implementation of the international component of the study, a reputable international law firm and a number of local experts were involved in the process, and the collected materials were sent to the relevant government agency. The materials include details of individuals and companies engaged in the illegal production and trade of gold, silver, copper, molybdenum and other non-ferrous metals in the former occupied territories, a chain of smuggling networks supporting illegal production, and their illegal activities from public sources. information is reflected. The research materials contain recommendations on legal measures to be applied in various international instances against Armenian and foreign companies involved in illegal activities. We are confident that the implementation of these measures will support the adoption of concrete legal steps and the achievement of results.

At the same time, in accordance with the concept of restoration and development of the liberated territories, AzerGold CJSC together with the Ministries of Economy and Ecology and Natural Resources is conducting relevant research on the future exploitation of non-ferrous metal deposits.

In the next stages, AzerGold CJSC is ready to support the unified policy pursued by the state in this direction with all its resources and fulfill its obligations.

Undoubtedly, the potential of non-ferrous metal reserves in our liberated territories will play a major role in the future development of the country's mining industry and metallurgy. The commissioning of numerous gold, silver, copper, mercury and other mineral deposits with significant industrial resources will help to reorganize industry in our liberated territories, intensify the development of most sectors of the economy, provide additional jobs for the local population, as well as rehabilitate cities and villages. will greatly support the development.