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Presidential Decree No. 649 operates on two parallel tracks:
Track 1 — Concession transfer to AzerGold. The decree directly assigns sub-surface use rights for eight named non-metal mineral deposits to AzerGold CJSC:
AzerGold CJSC (100% state-owned) was established in 2015 as Azerbaijan's state precious-metals champion to centralise gold and silver extraction. This decree extends its statutory remit into construction aggregates, which had previously been developed under private licences. AzerGold moved rapidly: a dedicated task force was established immediately, geological survey work on "Guzdek Mulda" in Garadagh/Absheron began in April–May 2026, and operations at the Imishli field were scheduled to commence in June 2026. Northwestern deposits (Zagatala, Balakan, Oghuz) face logistics constraints due to distance from the Baku construction-materials market and challenging terrain.
The rationale cited is "more transparent, flexible, and efficient management of subsoil resources" and meeting market demand for construction aggregates — language consistent with the broader pattern of Azerbaijani state-consolidation of the non-oil-gas upstream sector.
Track 2 — Digital Ecology single-window e-licensing. From 1 August 2027, all non-oil-gas subsoil-use processes will transition to the "Digital Ecology" information system, with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources as the coordinating authority. The system will consolidate: granting of subsoil-use rights, state expertise procedures, operator reporting obligations, inter-agency approvals, and the organisation of auctions and tenders. This is the first comprehensive digitisation of Azerbaijan's subsoil-licensing regime since the 1998 Law on Subsoil.
Track 3 — Implementing-regulations pipeline. Cabinet of Ministers is directed to submit within three months proposals strengthening operator liability for subsoil-use violations, and within six months proposals on monitoring systems and standardised documentation forms — creating a durable regulatory-development pipeline running through end-2026.
This decree is the operational-instrument pair to the 1 April 2026 Presidential Decree on Mining and Metallurgy Industry Development (filed: 2026-04-01-azerbaijan-mining-metallurgy-development-decree), which set the strategic trajectory and directed Cabinet to prepare the 2027–2030 State Program. The April 1 decree established the policy framework; Decree No. 649 executes concrete concession-transfer and licensing-reform instruments within that framework. Together the two April 2026 decrees recodify Azerbaijan's non-oil-gas subsoil-policy stack.
Background: The decree follows a 2024 presidential order commissioning the Boston Consulting Group to assess the non-oil-gas subsoil sector. BCG studied over 70 deposits across multiple regions in 2025, informing both the strategic framework (April 1) and this operational decree (April 20).