Armenia moving Arazdayan metallurgical plant to new location

An Armenian-American metallurgical plant, under construction in the town of Yeraskh (Arazdayan) in south-eastern Armenia, is being relocated to a new site on the conditional border with Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Region.

The announcement came online on the social network X of the EU Mission in Armenia.

"In recent weeks, the EU observer mission has regularly patrolled the Yeraskh area to observe and monitor the dismantling of the steel plant. Our presence facilitated the safe and secure transport of materials and equipment to the new location," the EU mission said in a social media post.

Earlier, Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan stated about the construction of a large Armenian-American metallurgical plant in Yeraskh with an investment volume of $70 million, Interfax reported.

The government of Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia stop the construction of a large metallurgical plant in Arazdeyan, bordering the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, said a letter from the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev to the Minister of Environment of Armenia.

The letter noted that the procedure provided for by the “Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context” (Espoo Convention) has been initiated in relation to activities carried out near Arazdeyan, located a few hundred meters from the conventional border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.