US Ambassador: Foreign investors take Amulsar into account when  making investment decisions

ArmInfo. The US approach to the Amulsar field is to ensure fair treatment for this project. The US Ambassador to Armenia Lynn Tracy said this in an interview  with Civilnet, referring to the situation around the gold deposit.   "I also emphasize the need for transparent and predictable rules, as  well as the need for predictability of adoption decisions. In the  end, these are situations that foreign investors will closely monitor  in order to determine the attitude towards foreign investors in the  republic in terms of transparency and justice, "the diplomat said.

To clarify whether, in her opinion, this situation around the field  negatively affects the mood of potential Western investors, Tracy  assured that, of course. According to her, this is a situation that  is being monitored by foreign investors, and who, when making their  decisions, will take into account the situation around the  Amulsarskoye field.

Earlier it became known that the claim for invalidating the  Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under the Amulsar gold mine  development program was rejected by the Administrative Court of  Armenia. The claim for invalidation of the EIA was submitted by the  Minister of the Environment.  According to Lidian Armenia, the  court's reasoning is important in the context of ongoing illegal  actions around the Amulsar project. According to the group of  persons, allegedly "new environmental factors" identified may serve  as the basis for invalidating the April 2016 EIA. However, dismissing  the lawsuit, the Administrative Court found that the evidence  presented was not "new environmental factors" and could not serve as  a basis for invalidating the current expert opinion of the EIA. In  particular, this refers to the controversial conclusion of the Ellard  company, which, by order of the Investigative Committee of the  Republic of Armenia, conducted an expert assessment of the EIA,  presented by the Ministry of the Environment to the Prime Minister's  office with justification of 13 points, as well as an independent  examination commissioned by Arut Bronozyan .

The current president and chief executive officer of Lydian  International Edward Sellers of this connection, said: "This news is  especially important in terms of the veracity of Elard's dubious  report and the letter of the Minister of the Environment. Lydian  International EIA is fully consistent with Armenian and international  standards and is designed in accordance with the best international  We value the fact that the court upheld the legality of the EIA, and  the trial is further evidence of attempts to impede Lydian's legal  right to develop implementation of the Amulsar project. The Prime  Minister of Armenia has repeatedly made statements confirming that  there are no legal grounds that would prevent the company from  completing the construction of the project and using it in the  interests of the state. The Prime Minister of Armenia called for  stopping roads and restoring free access to the mine's territory.  Nevertheless, the illegal checkpoint continues to this day. "

It should be noted that earlier Minister of Environment of the  Republic of Armenia Eric Grigoryan, expressing his personal opinion  as an Armenian citizen, said that he opposed the development of  mining deposits, including the mine at Amulsar, which is an important  health resort region with reserves of not only mineral water. For the  long-term development of the country's economy, there are other areas  - ecotourism, information technology, efficient use of forests, etc.  However, as the minister, Eric Grigoryan noted, he should focus on  those licenses and permits that have already been issued. At the same  time, he emphasized that he had some concerns about the correctness  of the conclusions submitted by the Ellard expert company on the  Amulsar project, which revealed a number of inconsistencies. These  discrepancies have already been submitted to the Inspectorate for  Subsoil and to law enforcement agencies, and if confirmed, the  criteria for assessing the environmental impact can significantly  change. The organization responsible for providing accurate  information is responsible for it. And if one of the parties, whether  it is a state body or Lidian Armenia company, comes out with  unverified data, this will have serious consequences for one of the  parties.

Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of the British offshore Lydian  International. The total cost of the Amulsar project is $ 370  million. The field's life is 10 years and 4 months, with an average  of 200 thousand ounces of gold being mined annually. Amulsar field is  the second largest reserves in Armenia. According to the company, the  deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78  g per ton, as well as 294.367 tons of silver with an average grade of  9.29 g per ton. It is located in the south-east of the country, 13 km  from the resort town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan.  Environmentalists and ordinary citizens are concerned that the  operation of the mine could lead to the pollution of the mineral  underground waters of Jermuk and Lake Sevan.