EcoLur
The International Finance Corporation, IFC, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, are running a PR campaign in support of Amulsar open pit mining project and heap leach mining. IFC and EBRD are the main investors of Lydian International Company, which intends to develop Amulsar project as represented by local Geoteam Company in Armenia.
The Amulsar project is currently undergoing the environmental expertise process and public hearings as laid down in RA Law “On Expertise and Environmental Impact Assessment”.
At the very public hearings in Gndevaz Village on 25 August the villager held a protest demonstration and voiced the risks of the program. Not long before the IFC Ombudsman’s office received a complaint on Amulsar Project signed by over 200 villagers.
The examination of the other two complaints on Amulsar project lodged to IFC and EBRD offices and signed by public green initiatives and environmental organizations aren’t still accomplished.
All three complaints and the letter sent to “Environmental Expertise” SNCO show the risks for the strategic interests of the country – water resources, Lake Sevan, biodiversity and red-listed species, people’s health, nuclear safety etc.
Geoteam Company employees publicly supported Amulsar project together with three village heads of the project affected villages. There are contradictory statements, particularly from Jermuk Mayor, who in 2012 negatively spoke of the project and then in 2014 he changed his mind without any substantiations. The same about the opinion of the Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan preservation, which was negative in 2012 and positive in 2014.
Economy Minister Karen Tchshmarityan is the best supporter of Amulsar project. The public addressed an open letter to the Minister and accused him of partiality and exercising pressure on the independent environmental expert assessment. In its reply letter the Economy Ministry outlined that the support to foreign investments assumes having no adversary environmental impact.
On this background, IFC and EBRD representatives made the following public statements in Armenia: Karsten Fuelster, Senior Investment Officer, IFC, "IFC supports a wide range of projects in different sectors that help create jobs and contribute to the growth of Armenia's economy," said Karsten Fuelster, IFC Principal Investment Officer. "As part of that effort, we seek ways to foster a sustainable mining sector in Armenia. Once given permission to proceed, the Amulsar project, IFC's only investment in this sector in Armenia, is expected to have many important economic benefits for the country, including generating revenue for the state and boosting employment in rural areas. IFC applies the highest environmental and social standards to its clients and the projects it finances, including the Amulsar project. One way we do this is through regular monitoring trips, like the one we concluded last week in Armenia. We will continue to closely monitor the project to make sure it complies with IFC standards throughout its implementation."
"The EBRD is committed to enhancing the economic development in the countries where it invests and the Amulsar project has the potential to have a positive impact on the region and the country. We are committed to ensure that our projects meet the highest standards of environmental and social performance. Visits such as this week's play an important role in reaching this goal. We are encouraged by the stakeholder engagement and social and environmental works that have been performed by Lydian and Geoteam. The environmental and social impact assessment will be the next important step for the development of the project in line with international best practice. We look forward to reviewing the ESIA to determine whether it meets the requirements of our Environmental and Social Policy, and to be appraised of the outcomes of the extensive public consultations the company is planning following disclosure of the ESIA," said Sam Walker, Senior Environmental Specialist at the EBRD.
October 24, 2014 at 16:06