Deputy Prime Minister: Armenia`s EITI membership is an important  component for open, accountable, and participatory governance

ArmInfo.  On November 19, RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan participated in the 64th meeting of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative  (EITI) Council, which was held in Yerevan for the first time.  According to the government press service, the meeting was attended  by representatives from the executive body, civil society, mining  organizations, international partner organizations, the EITI  International Secretariat, and over 100 EITI member countries.

In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister praised Armenia's ongoing  cooperation with the international EITI community and emphasized the  significance of effective and transparent natural resource  management. "Our current goal is to develop a responsible,  environmentally safe, and socially equitable sector, as well as  improve economic performance, which is particularly important given  the growing demand for natural resources, particularly non-ferrous  and rare metals, and the energy transition. The Mining Sector  Development Strategy of the Republic of Armenia, adopted in 2023,  serves this goal. It not only enshrines EITI membership as an  integral part of the mining sector governance system but also  prioritizes maintaining and expanding the EITI standard through open,  systematic, and digital data management as an important tool for  socioeconomic development."

The Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to  developing a transparent and open governance system to utilize  natural resources for the benefit of society as a whole.

A private meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister and EITI Board  Chair Helen Clark was also held during the EITI Council meeting. 

As a reminder, Armenia's application to join the EITI was approved in Bogotá, Colombia, on March 9, 2017. Armenia thus became the 52nd country to use the global EITI standard.