KABUL - Archeologists on Saturday discussed a safest digging process and protection of historic relics around the Mes Ainak Copper mine in central Logar province and would soon share the final result of their study with the president.
The Mes Ainak Copper Mine is situated 40 kilomeres southwestern of capital Kabul in the Mohammad Agha district of central Logar province.
According to reports, the reservoir has copper reserves up to 17 million metric tonnes, 7700 metric tonnes of silver, 600 metric tonnes of Cobalt and some amount of gold.
The contract of the Mes Ainak Copper mining was awarded to the Chinese Company MCC back in 2007, but insecurity, presence of historical monuments, and reservations of MCC and the Petroleum Ministry regarding the contract have brought the project to a halt.
A three-day international symposium on how to protect the historical relics and explore the copper reserves in the area was launched here by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs, in which national and international experts are participating.
Acting Mines and Petroleum Minister Nargis Nehan said: “We have started evaluating the copper mine contract since the past one and a half years. The problems in this regard have been divided and solutions for each problem has been suggested.”
“The ministry of mines in coordination with the ministry of cultural affairs has been conducting studies on how to ensure the protection of historical site and start the exploration of copper,” she said.
“We reached three solutions, the protection of historical sites and underground digging in areas where historic sites exist, transfer of some historical monuments to another place and finally the transfer of all historical sites in order to pave the way for exploration of copper,” said Nehan.
She said experts would share their views regarding the protection of historic relics and all these suggestions would be shared with the president.
Haseena Safi, acting minister for Information and Cultural Affairs, said at least 10,000 historical sites had been identified and of them 3,500 items had been transferred to the national museum. Fifty more big items which included Buddhist and Astopa idols have also been secured in the area. (Pajhwok)