On July 13, Ali Asadov, the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, decided to temporarily suspend the activities of the British company "Anglo Asian Mining" at the gold mine. Ali Asadov said this at the second meeting of the Commission established to investigate the situation in the village of Söyüdlü, Gadabay district.

Asadov said that on July 11, President Ilham Aliyev gave relevant instructions regarding the activities of the Commission on conducting monitoring and assessing the current situation in connection with the disturbing and unpleasant incident that occurred on June 20 in the village of Söyüdlü.

The Prime Minister called the lack of monitoring by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources in the area where the company has operated since 2018 a serious flaw. "The ministry has not properly performed the state control functions related to its authority. Conducting construction works on the waste reservoir three times in different years without the agreement of the Prime Minister with the executive authorities, failure to carry out an expert review of the project documents for the construction of the waste water reservoir, failure to assess the stability of the dam, not placing any demands on the company regarding the increase of the operational capabilities of the waste water reservoir, the wastewater transporter issued instructions to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Emergency Situations regarding the failure to define the sanitary-protection zone of the pipes, the failure to build restrictive fences, the failure to install informative and prohibitive signs along the pipeline and in the landfill area, and to seriously investigate and eliminate other deficiencies," the Cabinet of Ministers said.

The Prime Minister said that an international company has been identified and invited to conduct environmental and geological audits at the enterprise operating in the area, and it is expected to visit the country shortly. "Environmental, safety, and health issues will be evaluated by this company. The issue of resuming the enterprise's activities can be considered if it organizes its work on the results of the assessment and the recommendations to be made by the international company involved. The company operating in the area should ensure the application of modern equipment and new technologies in production in the next period. During this period, the enterprise must eliminate all identified deficiencies and establish its activities by the requirements of the relevant legislation, including fulfilling its social obligations to the employees," the official emphasized.

It was emphasized that by involving international companies, checking the stability of the existing waste storage and dam of the lake, and assessing the possibilities of use, as well as improving relations with local communities within the framework of social and corporate obligations of the company operating in the area, as well as the management of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and members of the Commission in solving all other issues. Serious and regular work should be done in coordination with the participation of state institutions. At the same time, an instruction was given to the Ministry of Health regarding the implementation of permanent control and periodic dispensation of the village population, including employees working in the enterprise.

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