YEREVAN (Azg)-Only 175 mines out of the reported 400 in Armenia are operating legally–according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Resources.
The most common violation is inaccurate reporting by mining companies. A smaller volume of resources is reported by mining companies in order to avoid paying higher taxes.
From the 135 mines which were investigated last year–32 were found operating without proper licenses. The government closed down 12 of the mines and issued the proper licenses to the others.
