YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan thinks that the mining sector should take the lead in developing institutions of public share ownership in the country, including through the listing of companies on stock exchanges.
“Our strategic vision is for the mining sector to become a leader in developing institutions of public share ownership in Armenia—specifically, through the process of listing companies on stock exchanges,” he stated on Saturday at the Mining Armenia Forum 2026 in Tsaghkadzor.
According to the Prime Minister, a key challenge for the mining industry is ensuring that the citizens of Armenia perceive it as their own.
“Subsoil resources are the property of the people and the state of the Republic of Armenia, while the mining industry carries out their exploitation—that is, the technical operations. This involves cooperation between society, the state, and investors. We have observed that the more society perceives the sector as its own, the more positive the attitude toward it becomes,” he said.
Pashinyan noted that while the government has taken steps in this direction in recent years, these efforts have lacked an institutional framework.
“The government of the Republic of Armenia holds stakes in several mining companies, but this is not the approach we envision. Essentially, we have taken isolated steps dictated by specific situations; however, it is crucial to adopt an institutional approach here,” the Prime Minister said. In his view, this approach should take the form of public share ownership within the mining sector.
Pashinyan believes that this would help address a number of issues, including ensuring the transparency of mining companies’ operations and their compliance with established standards. Furthermore, public share ownership would enable as many Armenian citizens as possible to become shareholders in these companies, thereby fostering a sense of personal stake in the business.
He emphasized that the government is adopting a similar approach regarding its own equity stakes in various companies, intending to lead by example and encourage the growth of public share ownership in Armenia.
The Mining Armenia Forum 2026 is being held under the theme “From Resources to Opportunities.” The event is organized by the “Mining Forum” Development Foundation and the Armenian Mining and Metallurgy Association.
