Karine Ionesyan, www.lragir.am
Interview with Gor Movsisyan, Lawyer at Scientific-Educational Center of Environmental Law of YSU Law Faculty
To what extent does Amulsar mine development contradict to the local laws taking into consideration that Law on Lake Sevan bans to pollute its territory or waters flowing into it?
-When we speak about law on Lake Sevan, the most important things are the principles of water resource management and not the near location of Kechout reservoir. Under my data, the processing of resources is supposed to be carried out in the territory adjacent to Kechout reservoir, which is a part of Lake Sevan catchment area. Even if this territory is not considered “direct impact zone”, the entrepreneur should substantiate with certain arguments that the development won’t have any impact on the reservoir, and, consequently, on Lake Sevan. We think that it’s impossible with current technological development, and in this case the law on Lake Sevan will start working.
- The development is said to comply with international standards. In your opinion, how these standards can be applied in Armenia, if local laws generate contradictions?
I think it’s just additional rumours in the context of Lake Sevan, while the ban imposed by the law completely comply with the principles fixed in various international documents on water resources.
If the mine is developed, whether there are legal leverages to combat illegal phenomena?
If the license is issued permitting development, the residents of the territories adjacent to Sevan or public organizations may dispute it, though I am not so sure of the option to initiate real proceedings taking into consideration the current judicial practice.
June 18, 2013 at 14:15