ArmInfo. On September 4, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, the Government of Armenia held regular discussions on the development of the Amulsar gold mine.
According to the press service of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, during the discussions the Minister of the Environment Erik Grigoryan presented the general situation around this program, noting that the Preliminary data presented in a number of areas were inaccurate.
During the discussions, a question was raised related to the procedure for a new environmental impact assessment of the Amulsar project (EIA), legal aspects of the problem, new environmental factors, etc. Summarizing the discussions, the Prime Minister instructed all concerned departments and institutions to work in a coordinated manner to provide a comprehensive investigation and comprehensive data for the preliminary investigation.
It should be noted that after the change of the Armenian government, Lydan's activity was stopped, including as a result of protests by environmental activists. The Armenian government decided to conduct an additional EIA examination, which was ordered by ELARD. The other day after the publication of the ELARD expertise and the conclusion of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the members of the government were inclined to believe that the document, in fact, leaves almost no open questions regarding the feasibility of exploiting the Amulsar mine. This statement caused a second wave of environmental protest and dissatisfaction with part of society. In this regard, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan decided to hold a video conference with representatives of ELARD to finally clarify the situation. After the conference, however, Pashinyan made another statement, stressing that during the conversation with the ELARD experts, new circumstances emerged that require additional evaluation and consideration.
Amulsar gold mine is the second largest gold mine in Armenia, it contains about 31 million tons of ore and 40 tons of pure gold. It is located in the south-east of the country, 13 km from the spa town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan. Environmentalists and ordinary citizens are concerned that the operation of the mine could lead to pollution of groundwater in Jermuk and Lake Sevan.