Montreal - AFP
Kyrgyzstan has granted a gold mine operating permit to Canada's Centerra Gold, barely making the deadline for a threatened shutdown of operations.
Centerra had previously warned that it would shutter the Kumtor Gold Mine if the proper permits were not granted by June 13.
"Centerra Gold Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received the necessary approval of its 2014 Kumtor mine plan from the relevant Kyrgyz Republic agencies," it said in a statement.
"The company therefore confirms that no shutdown will be required and that the Kumtor operations will continue uninterrupted."
No explanation was given for a six-month delay in obtaining the government approvals.
Shuttering the mine -- Kyrgyzstan's biggest employer and taxpayer -- would have hurt revenues of both the company and the country.