EcoLur
Jermuk residents fighting for the protection of Amulsar recorded a small victory today as a result of the three-day protest demonstration. One of their demands was met: the caravans set up by Lydian Armenia's security guards were removed from the road leading to Amulsar by Jermuk Municipality and police and were moved a few meters back to the Amulsar project area. Lydian Armenia stated that the location of its caravans was legal and that any attempt to relocate it was illegal without the company's consent.
Meanwhile, in 2019, RA Police, in its reply letter No. 25/88 dated on February 17, 2020, addressed to Gndevaz resident Tehmine Yenoqyan, officially stated that the caravans of Amulsar defenders were not located in the area of the real estate units belonging to the company. Reminder: the issue of caravans became on the agenda after the guards hired by "Lydian Armenia" on the night of August 4 moved the caravans of Amulsar defenders and put their own caravans in their place.
Nevertheless, the other demands of Jermuk residents still remain unfulfilled. One of them is the abandonment of the security service from Amulsar area, and the main demand remains the annulation of the environmental expert assessment opinion issued by the Armenian government to Amulsar gold-bearing quartzite mine development project in 2016.
Reminder: still in 2018 within the framework of the criminal case initiated in the Investigative Committee on the development of Amulsar gold-bearing quartzite mine in 2019, Lebanese consulting company ELARD reviewed the Amulsar project's environmental impact assessment and social impact assessment reports, and the company was paid US $ 450,000 from the state budget. As a result, ELARD experts stated that the Amulsar Project EIA was incomplete, thus unacceptable, so a new assessment of the project was required.
At the suggestion of the Armenian Government, RA Environment Ministry was to decide whether or not Amulsar Project EIA expert opinion should be annulled. Environment Minister suggested that RA Nature Protection and Mining Inspection Body carry out an inspection so that, according to RA Law on Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise, a final decision would be made based on the inspection body's inspection results. However, it is known that the inspection body has not yet inspected “Lydian Armenia” Company.
Photo Credit: Radio Liberty
August 07, 2020 at 21:12