Nikol Pashinyan: If we decide that a referendum should be held on  Amulsar mine operation, we will inform about it

ArmInfo. If we decide that a referendum should be held on the operation of the Amulsar mine, we will inform about this. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  stated this in the parliament.

He noted that if to this day there has been no initiative then the  government does not consider it necessary.  "If the legislation of  Armenia makes it possible to resolve this issue through a referendum,  then the citizens of the country can raise the issue of its need  through civil initiative. This issue is considered exclusively in the  legal framework. And all the provisions of this law should be  examined. We will discuss this issue again," Pashinyan said.  Amulsar  field is the second largest reserve in Armenia. According to the  company, the deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average  grade of 0.78 g per ton, and 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 spa town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa  and Vorotan.

It should be noted that despite the assurances of the Lydian company  that about $ 300 million has already been invested in the development  project of the Amulsar gold deposit, environmentalists do not share  the government's enthusiasm about the attractiveness of the mine's  operation plan. Environmentalists fear that the exploitation of the  field, during which sodium cyanide will be used, may lead to the  oxidation of water in rivers. Contaminated waters will become  unsuitable for drinking and irrigation and may cause irreparable harm  to the mineral springs of Jermuk and the ecosystem of Sevan.  Since  the end of 2018, the road to the field has been blocked by  environmental activists. The company in December last year announced  that it was starting the delisting of its shares on the Toronto Stock  Exchange, where they were quoted, and in fact announced a default.