Barrick Gold will resume operations at its shuttered Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali once authorities in the country allow it to resume gold shipments, CEO Mark Bristow told Reuters on Wednesday.

Barrick Gold Corp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow said the company is “making progress” in its dispute with Mali’s military regime, but the advances haven’t come as fast as expected.

The ongoing negotiations between the government of Mali and Canada's Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE:GOLD) over payments from the nation's largest gold mine have been put on hold, according to Bloomberg report on Tuesday.

Barrick Gold will resume operations at its shuttered Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali once authorities in the country allow it to resume gold shipments, CEO Mark Bristow said on Wednesday. The Toronto-based miner said it has been assured by Mali that gold worth about $245 million seized by authorities still belongs to the company,