ArmInfo. In view of the fact that last week in Jermuk several activists told Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Lydian Armenia never held any public discussions in the community of the resort town of Jermuk, moreover, did not recognize Jermuk as a community adjacent to the project, the company spoke with counterclaim. This is stated in the official message of Lydian Armenia.
"Let us begin with the question of whether a community adjacent to the project is established exclusively within the framework of the law - the Center for Expert Examination on the Environmental Impact of the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA. And if the law in no way obliged the company to hold public hearings in Jermuk, the company, nevertheless, following international standards, still held two public discussions on the social and environmental impact of the Amulsar project on this territory. At the same time, relevant information was posted on the company's website and distributed by local media. Moreover, about 700 invitations to hear Jermuk residents were handed over. Everyone had the opportunity to attend. It should be noted that activists who could not take part in the discussions in Jermuk received invitations to such a meeting, organized already in Yerevan," Lydian Armenia said.
The statement that Jermuk has not benefited from the implementation of the Amulsar project has been underlined in the company that Lydian Armenia has confirmed on the basis of numerous scientific studies and international expertise that the Amulsar project does not have any influence on the Jermuk ecology.
Concerning economic benefits, the company provided the following information: Social programs totaling 340 million drams were implemented in Jermuk and Kechut communities. In particular, the company sent 214 million drams for the construction and repair of infrastructures (from 2012 to 2015, major repairs were carried out at schools and kindergartens of Jermuk, and in 2013 and in 2016 territories adjacent to the music school and the School of Art were asphalted; in 2014 - the construction of sports and children's playgrounds in Jermuk and Kechut, the repair of the Jermuk Fire Station in 2015, the installation of road signs and street lighting in Jermuk in 2017, and in 2014 - the city of Jermuk provided two snow-removing machines, in 2016 - the repair of the potable water network in Kechut). On the development of tourism in Jermuk, the company allocated 62 million AMD separately. In particular, the company from 2011 to 2018 sponsored a chess tournament in Jermuk; in 2013 - conducted a study of the ski infrastructure of Jermuk and its further potential, from 2017 to 2018 - held several seminars in the field of tourism and hospitality. On educational programs from 2014 to 2018. the company sent 29 million drams.
Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of the British Lydian International, whose shareholders are also large international institutional investors from the United States, Great Britain and a number of European countries, including IFC and EBRD. The Amulsar project is the largest industrial project in Armenia for the development of the Amulsar gold deposit at a total cost of $ 370 million. In August 2016, a project for the construction and development of the field was launched. Preliminary work has been carried out since 2006. The life of the Amulsar deposit will be 10 years and 4 months, an annual average of 200,000 ounces of gold (about 10 million tons of ore) is planned. The company's shares are quoted on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Amulsar deposit is the second largest in Armenia.