In July 2025, British company Anglo Asian Mining Plc. commenced copper production at the occupied Kashen (Azerbaijani: Demirli) mine, located in the occupied Martakert region of Artsakh. During and after the 2020 Artsakh war, Anglo Asian expanded into territories captured by Azerbaijan, which marks a significant development in the post-conflict landscape of the region.

The current operations in Kashen cannot be viewed separately from the events of December 2022, when Azerbaijani “environmentalists” attempted to enter the Kashen mine in occupied Martakert over “environmental concerns” of mining practices at Kashen and Drmbon. Their denied entry ultimately resulted in them blocking the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor on December 12, 2022 under the same pretext, giving start to the 9-month blockade of Artsakh.

Under a Production Shared Agreement, Anglo Asian secured the rights to operate in multiple mining sites, in what are internationally recognized as disputed or occupied territories. These include: Kashen (Az.: Demirli) in Martakert, Ghazyan (Az.: Garadagh) in Karvachar (Az.:Kelbajar), and Kharkhar in Hadrut; all formerly under the administration of the Republic of Artsakh.

Azerbaijan claims that these operations are a step toward regional development, which promise job creation, investment and reconstruction. However, for Armenia and the displaced Armenians of Artsakh, this represents a deep issue: the economic exploitation of occupied land, done without the consent or the inclusion of the people who lived there.

Anglo Asian Mining estimates the copper concentrate production at 4,000 tonnes in 2025, with plans to expand to 15,000 tonnes annually by 2026. The company has emphasized local employment and environmental assessments to ensure the project is sustainable. According to the PSA, 51% of mining profits go to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology, 49% are retained by Anglo Asian Plc. Around 75% of revenues can be claimed as operational costs which will limit Azerbaijani taxation.

Obviously this results in complete exclusion of Armenians; the rightful owners of the land and its natural wealth. The Kashen mine sits on land that was emptied, ethnically cleansed of its Armenian population through war and blockade, and this “development” is actually resource extraction from a territory that was seized by force. Rebuilding roads, power lines or settlements in areas like Karvachar, Shushi, and Varanda is not infrastructure renewal but a strategy to demographically and culturally replace the previous population. These investments are not trying to revive a war-torn society, but to solidify Azerbaijani control over depopulated Armenian towns.

Despite the clear legal and moral concerns, Anglo Asian has continued its operations with support from international actors. British trade officials met with company representatives in 2020 and later in 2023, and are providing soft backing for investment in these occupied lands.The UK government has not issued any formal objection, and shareholders and regulators have largely been silent. This shows that Western companies, by engaging in these projects, push the Azerbaijani narrative of “liberated territories”, and hence they risk becoming active participants in the erasure of the Armenian presence, showing we were never legitimate to begin with.