Prime Minister: The final decision of the Armenian government on the  Amulsar project must be based on facts

ArmInfo.The final decision of the Armenian government on the Amulsar project should be based on facts. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists on  September 15 presenting some details of his meeting with the chairman  of the board of directors of Lydian International in Paris.

"When I was in Jermuk in June - early July, I suggested that the  company cooperate, so that we can come to a conclusion on the basis  of the facts, but they unfortunately refused, and now we are  compelled to follow a different path," the prime minister said.

As the head of the Armenian government pointed out, in the issue of  implementing the program for the development of the Amulsar deposit,  it is necessary to obtain the conclusion of an international  organization with an undeniable reputation.

"I think that we need to get an answer to two questions: how safe is  the project for Sevan and how safe it is for the Jermuk water basin,"  he said.  According to him, the issue of mine exploitation is  connected with these issues. If it turns out that exploitation is not  dangerous from this point of view, then the Armenian government,  given the current situation and taking into account the investments  already made, will give an opportunity to carry out development.  "Otherwise, we will look for other ways," the prime minister said.

Earlier, ArmInfo informed that the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is on a working visit in France, held a  meeting in Paris yesterday with the Chairman of the Board of  Directors of the Lydian International Company Gordon Wile and the  member of the Board Julian Davidson. According to official  information, during the meeting the situation around the development  program of the Amulsar deposit and possible ways of solving existing  problems was discussed. In this context, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized  the priority and importance of the safety of Lake Sevan resources and  water sources in the Amulsara region. At the same time, the head of  government noted that any decision should be based on concrete facts.  He also stressed the importance of a dialogue between Lidian  International and the public on the issue of the Amulsar project. The  issue of project development was the subject of discussions held  between the Prime Minister of Armenia and US and British ambassadors  Richard Mils and Judith Margrethe Farnourt on September 12. Earlier,  the inspection body for the subsoil and nature protection suspended  the development of the Amulsar gold deposit due to the identification  of the blue carnations and butterfly Apollo in the Red Book.  Simultaneously, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia opened a  criminal case against the Lidian Armenia company for illegal mining  work. Subsequently, the Ministry of Nature Protection as a result of  the research did not reveal carnations and butterflies entered in the  Red Book. At the same time, according to the data of the Ministry of  Economic Development and Investments of the Republic of Armenia, for  the first 8 months of this year, the largest amount of investments  came from Jersey ($ 38 million), where Lidian International was  registered.

Recall that Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of the British Lydian  International, whose shareholders are large international  institutional investors from the United States, Britain and several  European countries. 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 was launched  that assumes the construction and development of the field.  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.  Within the framework of the Amulsar program, 1,300 jobs will be  created in the construction process (construction works will last  about 2 years) and 650-700 jobs throughout the entire operation of  the field. The company's shares are quoted on the Toronto Stock  Exchange. Amulsar deposit is the second largest in Armenia.