Chinese MCC and Afghan Officials Discuss Historic Preservation Plans Alongside Mes Aynak Copper Mining
Officials from the Chinese MCC company announced that alongside the large-scale mining programs at the Mes Aynak copper site in Logar province, they have shared plans and research regarding the protection of historical areas and cultural heritage of the region with the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture.
This issue was discussed in a meeting attended by Atiqullah Azizi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Information and Culture; Hamidullah Habibi, Head of the Mes Aynak Project at the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum; the Economic Attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Kabul; and representatives of the MCC company. Meeting participants emphasized the economic significance of the Mes Aynak mine, as well as the historical and cultural importance of the area.
The Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts stated that mining extraction must proceed concurrently with specific measures to protect historical artifacts, and that cultural heritage should be preserved in accordance with national laws and internationally accepted standards. He warned that neglecting this matter could result in irreparable cultural damages.
The Economic Attaché from the Chinese Embassy also regarded the preservation of Mes Aynak’s historical artifacts as a shared responsibility between Afghanistan and China and stressed cooperation between the two sides in this regard. MCC representatives presented their technical findings through a presentation and committed to sharing detailed information with the technical committee of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts emphasized the need to sign a joint memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Information and Culture, MCC, and the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to formally define the framework of cooperation in the preservation of Mes Aynak’s cultural heritage.
