Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, August 16, 2024
The head of the Sungun Copper Complex, Mohammadjafar Uzmaei, stated at a press conference that the reports about the "independence" of the Sungun Copper Complex in East Azerbaijan province were a misunderstanding. Uzmaei emphasized that establishing an independent company in the province is impossible according to the country's laws.
In a video shared on social media, Uzmaei explained that the issue of the Sungun Copper Company's independence stemmed from a misinterpretation of the words of former president Ebrahim Raisi. According to him, the independence of this complex was never discussed, and such a move would be against the law.Uzmaei mentioned that it is not possible to create an independent company separate from the National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICIC) in the province; however, it is possible for this company to operate as a subsidiary. He added that the legal issues regarding the creation of such a subsidiary company have been under review by NICIC since March of this year. As a result, 17 issues and obstacles were identified and presented to the then-executive vice president. However, the process was temporarily halted due to a helicopter crash.
Uzmaei further added that considering the strong demand from the people of Azerbaijan, the new government may reconsider the creation of a subsidiary company called the Sungun Copper Complex.
In June 2022, during a visit to the province, former president Ebrahim Raisi had announced that he signed a decree for the establishment of an independent copper company in East Azerbaijan. However, this issue has been interpreted differently by various circles. While some national activists believed the president's promise would be unfulfilled, others hoped that if such a company were created, part of the revenue would stay in the province.
In July of the previous year, almost a year after Raisi's promise, Hussein Taghaddosi, the financial and economic deputy of the National Iranian Copper Industries Company, stated at a press conference that there were no plans to create an independent Sungun Copper Company.
The representative of Varzeqan city in parliament claimed that the National Iranian Copper Industries Company did not want to create a company called Sungun Copper Complex, as it would limit the company's powers.
Current president Masoud Pezeshkian, during his election campaign, promised that a copper company would be established in the province. The copper deposits located in East Azerbaijan province account for half of the country's copper reserves. The residents of the province believe that the resources and revenues of this mine are not sufficiently invested in the region, and that the people should have a say in this matter.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Süngün mis kompleksinin müstəqil olmasının mümkün olmadığı açıqlandı