Afghan Minister visits Mes Aynak copper mine

LOGAR (Ariana News): Shahabuddin Delawar, Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, visited the Mes Aynak copper mine area during a trip to Logar province.

According to the ministry, Delawar was accompanied by Khairullah Khairkhaw, Acting Minister of Information and Culture; Zhao Xing, Chinese Ambassador to Kabul; Ziaul Rahman Madani, Governor of Logar; and the deputy minister of energy and water.

The ministry said Delawar and his accompanying delegation visited various areas of Mes Aynak copper mine and Mes Aynak archaeological sites to evaluate progress of work being done on the mine.

Officials of MCC, the company with the contract to mine the copper, also provided an update on work being carried out including an update on the road that will soon be built.

“Most of the problems of the project have been solved and we are ready to start the practical work of the project, and with the practical start of the [Mes] Aynak copper mine project, there will be no damage to the ancient monuments in the area.”

The Acting Minister of Information and Culture also discussed the need to preserve and protect relics at the archeological site and assured the delegation of the ministry’s cooperation.

The deputy minister of energy and water also assured all present of a consistent supply of electricity and water for the mine.

Mes Aynak is the location of Afghanistan’s largest copper deposit, however it also contains artifacts recovered from the Bronze Age, and some of the artifacts recovered have dated back over 3000 years.