SAUDI ARABIA INTERESTED IN ARMENIAN TRAVERTINE
YEREVAN, JUNE 20. ARMINFO. To organize stone procession at Ararat
travertine deposit, $2.3 mln investments are necessary. Director of
the stone processing enterprise “Petropol” in Ararat Perch Ghazaryan
informs journalists.
He says the travertine recovered in Ararat was presented in the course
of forums in Abu-Dhabi and Dubai, with relevant proposals having been
presented. Saudi Arabia has taken an interest in one of the proposals
requiring $2.5 mln investment. However, representatives of Saudi
Arabia are dissatisfied with recovery of travertine through
explosions, which leads to losses, Ghazaryan says. After recovered,
the stones are subjected to examination for firmness. The proposal is
enough serious and grounded – an investor can gain rather big benefit,
he says. In his words, the price for Armenian travertine which does
not yield to the foreign one as to its quality and firmness, is low
enough. Thus, 1 cubic meter of Armenian travertine presented at the
exhibition costs $400, meanwhile foreign stone processing enterprises
exhibited travertine for 1.200 EUR/1 cubic meter. Ghazaryan says
travertine reserves at Ararat deposit, which are exported to Russia
and the USA, reach 7 mln cubic meters.