Residents of consolidated Jermuk community in Vayots Dzor Region have not changed their position regarding Amulsar project. On March 17, community representatives, including the EcoLur team, went to Jermuk to find out the position of the local population and the local self-government body regarding the tripartite memorandum signed for the relaunch of Amulsar project.
Reminder: on February 22, the RA government, the Eurasian Development Bank and "Lydian Armenia" CJSC signed a memorandum of understanding, in which the new owners of the shares of the company with gold mining assets in Amulsar were determined. The government became the owner of 12.5% of the shares.
We present their opinions on the Amulsar project:
- ...There are all kinds of jobs. The company says that they will create 1,000 jobs, but during that time we will lose about 2,000 jobs in Jermuk, because the resort area and mineral waters of Jermuk will be unusable...
- I have lived in Jermuk for thirty years, there have always been more than 2,000 jobs, a water factory, a resort, and a sanatorium in Jermuk. Now all that should be nothing, an untried jobs will be opened...
- In Gndevaz, Kechut and the rest of the communities, we will lose our vegetation, grape varieties, fauna... I live here, I have prospects here, I want to create a future for my children...
The citizens of Jermuk mentioned that the proof of the risks of the mine are the problems that appeared during the construction, which they personally saw.
- We saw the dust and water pollution with our own eyes. It wasn't a mine yet, they were just doing construction work, and the dust reached Arin village. I should go, work for a few years, get sick tomorrow, not be able to be treated... We need to make sure that this "bubble" bursts, the option of operating a mine to end....
One of them mentioned that years ago, at a meeting with the company's representatives, he offered them to come and live next to the mine. "I am building a house next to a HLF. I say bring your family, let them live as my family lives. I was asking whether he would bring his family, but he didn’t answer. Anyway, I live here, why are you doing this, you want to poison me? Well, if there is no damage, let them insure people, they insure livestock, not people. We don’t have the value of a chicken even..." he said.
March 23, 2023 at 10:40