ArmInfo. A number of public organizations in Armenia opposed the development of the Amulsar gold mine. In their statement, received by ArmInfo, representatives of public organizations considered the tripartite memorandum of understanding signed on February 22 between the government of the Republic of Armenia, the Eurasian Development Bank and Lydian Armenia CJSC as illegal, short-sighted, irresponsible, adventurous and dangerous.
The Government of the Republic of Armenia did not ensure the conduct of a full environmental impact assessment, the negative impact on the drainage basins of Lake Sevan, the Arpa and Vorotan rivers, the Spandaryan and Kechut reservoirs, groundwater, and long-term pollution of surface and groundwater due to acid drainage were not taken into account. The Cabinet of Ministers also ignored the risks associated with the presence of radioactive elements in the Amulsar mine - uranium, thorium, radon, environmental pollution with dust containing a huge amount of toxic elements. In addition, the risks associated with the use of cyanide technology, which is banned in a number of countries around the world, are not taken into account.
According to them, the city of Jermuk will lose its importance as an international resort. The city, in their opinion, will turn into a working city, the inhabitants of which will eventually emigrate, and the workers will leave the mine after the end of its development. They recalled the statement of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia, who stated that the restart of the Amulsar project is not hazardous to health and has passed the relevant expert examinations, which is not true, since the EIA examination could not be carried out in practice, since there is no appropriate methodology. The possible negative impact on "Jermuk" mineral water as well as international obligations taken in the field of biodiversity protection in connection with the Berne Convention are not taken into account. The opinion of the population of local communities and the public opposing the Amulsar project is not taken into account. Also, the RA government did not take into account the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan on September 13, 2022, during which Jermuk was bombed. By attracting the Eurasian Development Bank to finance the Amulsar project, the Cabinet of Ministers did not assess the economic and political risks for the Republic of Armenia in the context of Western sanctions against Russia. <Instead of pursuing the restoration of the once prosperous border resort town of Jermuk, strengthening community resilience and border security, the RA government prefers to finally sacrifice Jermuk and its well-established socio-economic system for the sake of 10-11 years of development of the mine and revenues to the state budget of several dozen billion drams, as well as the enrichment of several dubious offshore companies>, the statement says.