The issue of the development of Azerbaijan's mining industry, the efficient exploitation of existing deposits, and the involvement of mineral resources in the economic cycle has once again come to the fore. At the meeting on the State Program for the Development of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry, chaired by President Ilham Aliyev on September 22, the “Söyüdlü” deposit was also mentioned among the main promising projects. At the meeting, it was stated that 1.03 million ounces of gold resources have been identified in the deposit and the first production is planned for 2028.
Azer Badamov, Deputy Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, told Modern.az that a large part of the Söyüdlü deposit is located in the territory of Azerbaijan, and this part of the deposit was intensively exploited during the occupation:
“The Söyüdlü (Zod) deposit was under Armenian occupation from 1993-2020. Armenia plundered this deposit by intensively exploiting it using old methods, without adhering to technological norms. Although approximately 75 percent of the deposit is located in the territory of Azerbaijan, the occupiers carried out ore extraction precisely in the part located in our territory, mainly by the open-pit method. According to information, Armenia earned approximately 52 million dollars annually from the Söyüdlü deposit.”
The deputy noted that after Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation, our country's control over the Söyüdlü deposit was restored:
“As of September 2026, AzerGold CJSC has started the legal exploitation process in the deposit. Currently, the remaining reserves of the deposit are estimated to be approximately 1.03 million ounces, which is more than 32 tons of gold. AzerGold CJSC will carry out production in the deposit by applying modern technologies, based on compliance with relevant technological and environmental norms.”
According to A. Badamov, the resources obtained from the exploitation of the deposit will henceforth serve the economic development of Azerbaijan and the welfare of the population:
“Naturally, from now on, the mineral raw material resources of the Söyüdlü deposit will serve the welfare of the Azerbaijani state and people, the economic development of our country, and the state budget.”
