Tbilisi Civil Court suspends mining at Sakdrisi Gold Mine
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A court ruling has overturned a Ministerial decision to allow Russian-owned mining company RMG Gold to continue mining at the Sakdrisi Gold Mine in southern Georgia.
Tbilisi City Court yesterday ordered mining to temporarily halt at the Sakdrisi Gold Mine while the court continued to deliberate the case.
Until the final verdict had been made, the Court ruled RMG Gold was forbidden to excavate mineral resources at Sakdrisi site.
"In this particular case due to the specifics of the subject, it is important to save the uniqueness of the object, the qualities and characters, as well as the maintenance of the environment which made it historical, cultural or have archaeological value”, the Court stated.
The Court decision overturned a March 13 order by Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia Guram Odisharia, which allowed RMG Gold to continue large-scale mining at the site.
Sakdrisi Gold Mine is one of the oldest gold mines in the world and dates back almost 5,000 years. German and Georgian archaeologists have been excavating the site since 2006.
Several expert archaeologists believed the gold mine was the oldest mine in the world however Georgia’s Ministry of Culture would not confirm if the gold and golden ores being mined dated back to the prehistoric era.
The ancient mine, which stretched 50 metres deep, was discovered only a few years ago by Georgian and German archaeologists.
In 2013, the Ministry of Culture revoked the Sakdrisi Gold Mine’s status of a place of cultural heritage, citing the site had been enlisted through procedural violations. The Ministry decided the site should retain an archaeological site status but after three months this status was also removed.
RMG Gold then applied to the Ministry of Culture to allow mining to continue at Sakdrisi Gold Mine. This was greeted with protests by archaeologists.
Major issues surrounding the Sakdrisi gold mine will be investigated by international experts in a bid to resolve the vast problems surrounding the mine.
German and Swiss experts are in southern Georgia to assess the controversial mining issue at the Sakdrisi gold mine.
Ministry of Culture officials were forbidden to enter ancient Sakdrisi-Kachaghiani territory, where a prehistoric gold mine is located. Sakdrisi Gold Mine is the oldest gold mine in the world, dating back almost 5,000 years.
The agreement between the strikers and the company’s administration was achieved after the Government appointed a mediator who assisted the parties to negotiate.
Former first Deputy Minister of Culture Marina Mizandari will appeal to the Civil Court against an official decision to terminate her employment.
RMG Gold will resume work at Sakdrisi gold mine in southern Georgia, which some archaeologists believe is the world’s oldest gold mine.
A court decision has annulled a Ministerial decision to suspend Sakdrisi Gold Mine’s status as a historical monument.
Establishing the historical importance of Sakdrisi Gold Mine in southern Georgia is in doubt after the Government approved RMG Gold to resume mining at the controversial site.
Every civilized country is obliged to take care of its cultural heritage, said Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili while commenting the controversy surrounding Sakdrisi Gold Mine.
The employees of the Sakdrisi Gold Mine in southern Georgia demanding reestablishing mining at the controversial site said if RMG Gold, a company carrying out the mining operation stopped working at the site, jobs would dry up and they would be unemployed again.
Leaving 3,000 families without a job in the current situation in Georgia is a very big irresponsibility, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili today said while commenting the developments around the controversial Sakdrisi Gold Mine.
We must define our priorities considering the country's interests and only then make a decision, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili noted while commenting on the controversial Sakdrisi Gold Mine issue today.
A miner died last night during underground works in Shukruti mine in the village of Chiatura - a city in the western Georgian region of Imereti.