A meeting was held on Wednesday among the current Afghan government officials for the purpose of protecting ancient relics in the area of Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar province.

The acting ministries of information and culture, industry and commerce, mines and petroleum, and the director of the Central Bank of Afghanistan presented a plan to stop damage to ancient relics in this area during this meeting.

The Logar Mes Aynak copper-mining project has been handed over to MCC China for fifteen years but its extraction has not yet started yet with practical work.

However, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP), said that MCC China announced a new plan to start the process of extracting this mine in this meeting.

"Regarding the relics, there is a problem that has been discussed with the MCC company to solve it, and they have presented a new plan about its extraction,” the ministry's spokesman Humayun Afghan told TOLOnews.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM), emphasized starting the Mes Aynak copper mine extraction process as soon as possible, saying that if the Chinese company does not start the practical work of extraction, this project should be entrusted to other companies.

"To get the work started practically, if the issues are coming from the Afghanistan side, they should be removed, and if they are coming from China's MCC, they should be negotiated. Otherwise, an alternative option should be chosen,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, deputy of the chamber.

Some economists stressed that processing mines, particularly Mes Aynak, should take place domestically and that mines should be extracted while protecting national interests.

"When mines are extracted, in addition to generating a good income for the government, it can also create job opportunities for the country's citizens,” Abdul Nasir Reshtia, an economist, told TOLOnews.

"If extraction is carried out in a transparent manner, it is clear that it will play a significant role in providing Afghanistan a path in economic development,” Shaker Yaqoobi, another economist, told TOLOnews.

Previously, at a meeting with the CEO of MCC China Company, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) had promised to work with the company in the acquisition of land around Mes Aynak in Logar, and Hajigak in Bamiyan.