Is Azerbaijani SOCAR Trying to Buy the Bitumen Plant in Surenavan?

We have received information from the Armenian-Russian bitumen plant located in Surenavan that the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR is negotiating to purchase the plant, with the assistance of Georgian intermediaries. The plant has been almost dissolved for about a year and a half, with only a few employees retained; the plant's phone lines are unresponsive, hence we could not obtain official information. This is reported by Hraparak.am.

It should be noted that Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR has been the largest taxpayer in Georgia for years, maintaining an army of nearly 5,000 people in the country under the guise of protecting its gas stations, warehouses, pipelines, and other infrastructure. The majority of those involved in this service are Azerbaijani citizens residing in Georgia, who undergo training several times a year to improve their weapon-handling skills.

The bitumen plant operated in the village of Surenavan since 2006 and was closed about a year to a year and a half after the revolution. The plant was engaged in the production of bitumen, a petroleum product used in asphalt manufacturing. Among the Armenian shareholders of the plant was Mika Baghdasarov.

Auroranews contacted the Deputy Governor of Ararat, who stated that they do not have such information.