YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian prime minister Serge Sargsian on Augsut 1 met with the delegation headed by Gunther Pilarski, the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Germany, founder and chairman of Cronimet Gruppe. Welcoming and appreciating the activities of Cronimet - the owner of 70% of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Enterprise's shares, which is the biggest German investor in Armenia, thanks to which Germany has become one of the biggest investors in our country, Serge Sargsian on behalf of the Armenian government exspressed a willingness to promote cooperation with this company, which is the world's leader engaged in the processing of raw material in metallurgy. The prime minister underlined that in its program for the next five years, the Armenian government gives priority to development of mining industry and will encourage cooperation between the state and the private sector with the aim of developing this sector having serious export-related prospects. In the words of S. Sargsian, the cooperation of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Enterprise and the Armenian government may serve as a good example. Gunther Pilarski who is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Germany said that his visit is aimed at deepening the cooperation and he is glad to hear about such a willingness on the part of the Armenian prime misiter. He informed S. Sargsian about further plans on development of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Enterprise, including the program on processing of copper concentrate on the spot, which may be of great use to Armenia. Noting that the price of metal has considerably risen on international market in recent years, Gunther Pilarski said that this circumstance provides the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Enterprise with a good opportunity for additional invvestments. In response to the prime minister's question about whether enhancement of the enterprise's capacities will cause new environmental problems, Mr. Pilarski assured him that the whole process will proceed in a closed cycle and there is no cause for concern. According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, issues related to long-term cooperation in other sectors were also discussed during the meeting of the prime minister and the German delegation. The two sides attached importance to development of the insurance market in our country and the entrance of big banks and insurance companies into the Armenian market with this aim. They also spoke about cooperation in the transport sector, with negotiations already being conducted between Yerevan mayor's office and the ministries interested. Gunther Pilarski also presented their plans concerning Electron Plant, calling these projects quite profitable.

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