ALMATY (Reuters) – Kyrgyzstan is in the final stages of settling its dispute with Canada’s Centerra Gold, whose giant Kumtor gold mine it nationalised last year, Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov was quoted as saying on Thursday.
“The talks on Kumtor are nearing their conclusion. We are settling the matter with Centerra Gold,” Japarov told an energy conference, the Interfax news agency said.
Centerra kicked off arbitration in May 2021 after the former Soviet republic took over the country’s biggest mine for allegedly posing a danger to human lives or the environment. The company has denied all the allegations.
Last month, Centerra Gold confirmed nL4N2TJ1B5 it was in talks with the Bishkek government for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute, saying it should receive about 26.1% of its common stock held by Kyrgyzstan.
(Reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
