Friday, August 7 2020 15:26

ArmInfo.  Executive Director of  Lydian Armenia Hayk Aloyan sent an official letter to the head of  Jermuk community Vardan Hovhannisyan in connection with the situation  around the dismantling of the cabins, the press service of the  company reports.

In his letter, Aloyan, in particular, continues to insist that the  activists had installed their cabins near Amulsar unlawfully, but the  head of the community did not take any measures for two years.  According to Aloyan, a comprehensive answer to the question of why  this took place may be given by the competent preliminary  investigation body. <The company continues to take the position that  it did not violate any rights; the company enjoys the right to  unimpeded use of property in its legal possession, provided for by  the RA Constitution and the RA Civil Code, "the letter says.

To note, today the process of dismantling the cabins of the Lydian  Armenia company, which carries out the development the Amulsar  project, has started. Jermuk Mayor Vardan Hovhannisyan reconfirmed  the statement voiced the day before that the company did not have a  permit for construction work in this territory, in connection with  which the cabin cars will be dismantled. According to preliminary  information, the cabins should be moved 10 meters, however, due to  the presence of a high-voltage tower on this section, this distance,  due to security measures, can be increased by another 10 meters.

It should be reminded that the situation in Amulsar escalated when  recently a new security organization of Lydian Armenia - "Special  Security Service" - dismantled the cabins of green activists. As a  sign of protest, a car rally set off from Jermuk towards the field,  the participants of which later also joined the activists.  The  "Special Security Service" has been protecting the property of Lydian  Armenia since June 30 this year.  Its activities have repeatedly  caused tension in the area of the deposit, and during the last three  days of protests near the mine, four of its employees were detained  on suspicion of hooliganism. To add, during the protests, in which  the local population took an active part, there were clashes with the  police. According to environmentalists and green activists, there was  a disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officers. The  situation was under the control of representatives of the Ombudsman's  office.

The total cost of the Amulsar project is $ 370 million. The life of  the deposit is 10 years and 4 months, while it is planned to extract  an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold annually. To note, Lydian  Armenia is a subsidiary of the British offshore Lydian International.  Environmentalists and ordinary citizens are concerned that the  operation of the mine may lead to the pollution of the mineral  groundwater in Jermuk and Lake Sevan. In addition to the water basin,  the public is also concerned about the possible presence of uranium  manifestations at the deposit.