EcoLur
On 31 January presidential candidate, incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan visited an ecological hot spot, Hrazdan Town. Hrazdan is environmentally unfavorable town polluted with the emissions of the cement plant, Hrazdan thermal power plant plus the mining industry opposed by “Healthy Hrazdan” civic initiative. The initiative has addressed a letter to Serzh Sargsyan, which the issued connected with rapid development of mining industry and its risks were presented. The activists hoped to hand the letter and to get some answers to their questions from the presidential candidate in the course of the election campaign in Hrazdan.
Serzh Sargsyan hasn’t addressed the environmental problems in Hrazdan. “…Dear Hrazdan residents, I am aware of the problems you and Armenian citizens are concerned with. These problems are different, some of them may be solved during a short period of time, others need more time due to some objective reasons. But we don’t have problems, which can’t be solved. I call all to step in to well-off Armenia together. Kotayk region and its center Hrazdan have serious perspectives for development. I came here to call to all to bear this burden together. Be sure that I will hand in completely other Armenia to the next president and Armenia in 2018 with new socio-economic perspectives. And this will be well-off Armenia. I consider it to be my duty.”
In reply to EcoLur’s question about expectations connected with presidential elections and Serzh Sargsyan, “Healthy Hrazdan” civic initiative group member Arsen Arsenyan replied, “The incumbent president has already expressed his wish to develop the country in mining industry, and all this process already can’t be stopped even for the sake of environmental problems. Our fight for ecology should be common so as to save something,” Arsenyan said. Under him, these elections won’t change the ecology for the better, which has a vital significance for us.
February 01, 2013 at 17:06