According to circulated rumors, NA MP Ashot Arsenyan is behind the protest against the gold mine project of Amulsar.
Days ago the civil initiative “Jermuk won’t become a mine” paid a visit to Amulsar located in the vicinity of Jermuk of Vayots Dzor. The group was protesting against the project with various posters and banners. According to environmentalists, the goal of the campaign is to maintain Jermuk is a recreational area and that the health of the local residents will be damaged in the event of the exploitation of Amulsar mine by Geoteam company. Reminder: Geoteam CJSC is an Armenian mineral exploration and development company, specializing in discovering new mineral deposits in Armenia. This is posted on the official website of the company. “I am very impressed. I have never been to the place before. The reservoirs of Jermuk, Kechut and Spandaryan are linked to each other. Even with an unarmed eye one can see that the exploitation of the mine will have irreversible consequences. We have photos how the construction activities affect the flora of the area. Even now we can say that the water is jeopardized. And the opinions of the local residents are not taken into account. This recreational center will be turned into a mausoleum,” mentioned environmentalist Mariam Sukhudyan. “We were surprised why Amulsar is considered a new mining zone. We even called the company and they told us that as a result of long lasting research the mine was identified. I don’t understand this because, for instance, Dino Gold Mining that exploits the mines of Shahumyan, conducts explorations and research and only a result of that the reserves are recorded. In a word, we don’t understand why this mine is considered new,” said the president of Ecolur NGO Inga Zarafyan. According to the latter, back in the soviet years, exploration was being conducted in these mines, specifically they had explored uranium in the mentioned areas. According to Zarafyan, this was written in Petros Aloyan’s article, which reads that Amulsar’s mines counts 76 tons of uranium. And at the very bottom of the mine the reserves count 100 tons. “We applied to prominent geologist Hrachya Avagyan, who confirmed that Amulsar is not a new mine. It was not fully explored during the soviet era, because back then they didn’t find profitable to spend resources on small reserves,” mentioned Zarafyan. According to her, the answers of the questions addressed to the company are worrisome. In a question addressed to the company as to what methods they are going to use while exploiting the mine, the company said that the methods wouldn’t be dangerous for the environment and they work based on international standards. In that case, the response is not quite clear because Europe has long ago refused applying the cyanogens methods. And the projects of the company contain lots of risks not only for Amulsar because the Armenian government seemingly encourages the increase of such risks. According to Zarafyan, the project of Amulsar violates the law on Sevan because the reservoirs of Spandaryan and Kechut flow out into Sevan lake. In regard of this issue, we have also spoken to the chief nature protector of Geo Team Armen Stepanyan. In his words, the activity of the company cannot have any effects on Sevan due to a range of reasons. “All the activities of the company are anticipated to ensure that Vorotan river is not polluted. If it is not polluted than no substance can infiltrate Sevan through the famous tunnel. Yes, there are two reservoirs there – Kechut and Spandaryan. The last one is located in a 7-kilometer distance from the mine and Kechut is 8,59 kilometers far. Vorotan river flows into Spandaryan river, which has a tunnel that goes to Kechut. At this point the tunnel doesn’t operate. It means that no water flows into Kechut from Spandaryan. Certain measures are taken to ensure that the rivers and the nature are not polluted,” told Stepanyan in a phone conversation with us. According to him, all the issues find the best solutions. According to him, all the issues find the best engineer-based solutions. As of the threat that Jermuk will be jeopardized as a recreational center, the company associate mentioned, “Jermuk is over 15 kilometers far from the mine and our observations show that there cannot be any negative effects.” The latter also excluded all the assumed ecological threats for the nearby villages Gndevaz, Gorhayk and Saravan. “When the research and examination are completed and when the exact amount of reserves is clarified the process will end,” said Stepanyan and added that in Tigranes and Artavazdes segments of the mine the amount of reserves is known. Also, according to the official website of Lidian International OJSC, as of 2011 the gold reserves of Tigranes make 52 tons. The mentioned company owns 95% stocks of Geo Team and the rest of the stocks can be bought by Armenian citizens as well. Moreover, before starting operations Lidian has conducted research and exploration not only with domestic experts but also international experts were invited. The company operates based on legal requirements. Even before the launch of operation, the company implements various social projects for the communities.