ArmInfo. On September 6, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the interim president of Lydian international company Edward Sellers and the general director of Lydian Armenia Hayk Aloyan.
According to the press service of the Armenian government, during the meeting the parties discussed issues related to the situation around the Amulsar mine program. In particular, the parties touched on the conclusion of the international examination regarding the Amulsar mine and the problems voiced. It should be noted that after the change of the Armenian government, Lidan'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 practically no open questions regarding the feasibility of exploiting the Amulsar field.
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 deposit is the second largest gold deposit 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.