EcoLur
The operation of Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant mitigates the social situation in Alaverdi by only 10%, but doesn’t solve the problem in any manner. An alternative to Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant should be established: this is what Director of 'Community Mobilization and Support Center' NGO Oleg Dulgaryan thinks.
“Alaverdi has 20,000 residents: the employment of 600 people can’t solve the social situation, as the unemployment in Alaverdi was also very high before the closedown of the plant. We need urgent and specific solutions. In my personal opinion, the best solution will be for the Armenian Government to declare Alaverdi as an area designated for investments of high significance and priority projects. The Government should bring very significant projects here for the people to have an alternative,” he said.
Under Oleg Dulgaryan, there is a hypothesis among the society and experts that the closedown of Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant may possibly be some Russian signal in terms of making our Government understand something.
Reminder: Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant operated by “Armenian Copper Program” CJSC, a part of Vallex group, is pledged at the VTB bank for the purpose of constructing Teghout Mining Complex. The copper smelting plant stopped its operation on 19 October 2018.
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
February 28, 2019 at 18:09