Inga Zarafyan, President of EcoLur Informational NGO, took part in a debate and discussion on Factor TV entitled “Amulsar Mine Begins Operations: Environmental Disaster or Safe Mining and Development?” Other participants included Oleg Dulgaryan, President of Center for Community Consolidation and Support NGO; Garegin Miskaryan, President of the +374 Political Self-Determination Club; Nazeli Vardanyan, Director of Forests of Armenia NGO; and Anahit Adamyan, a member of the political council of the Republic Party.
In her remarks, Zarafyan outlined the main environmental concerns and risks associated with the Amulsar mining project, highlighting the following issues:
- Lack of economic viability and the use of cyanide technology: According to Zarafyan, the gold content at Amulsar is extremely low (0.78 grams per tonne of ore, according to the mining company's data). “Economically, we cannot extract this gold profitably without using the highly polluting cyanide technology.”
- Uncontrollable risks and threats to water resources: Approximately 250 million tonnes of waste rock will accumulate in the heart of the Arpa and Vorotan river basins as part of the gold extraction process. The environmental expert highlighted the risks of acid rock drainage and contamination of Lake Sevan through the Kechut tunnel, risks that international experts had also warned about. She stressed that these risks cannot be controlled.
- Water as a matter of statehood and national security: Referring to the report by the international consulting firm ELARD, Zarafyan recalled that the data used to assess water resources were so incomplete that the experts were unable to reach a definitive conclusion.
- Socioeconomic damage and Jermuk's future: Since Amulsar project site is located just 5–12 km from the spa town of Jermuk, the project poses substantial social and economic risks. Inga Zarafyan warned that Jermuk could suffer the same fate as the abandoned mining town of Dastakert, becoming a “ghost town.”
Addressing the financial aspects of the mining sector, the EcoLur president also noted that profits earned by major mining companies operating in Armenia often flow to offshore jurisdictions, while local communities are left to bear the consequences of environmental disasters.
You can watch the full discussion below.
October 24, 2026 at 13:09