On December 10, 2024, Kapan Community Council gave preliminary approval for the expansion activities of Artsvanik tailings dam proposed by “Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine” CJSC with a vote of 20 in favor, 1 abstention. Council member Spartak Harutyunyan, who missed the vote due to arriving late, delivered a letter to Kapan Community Head Gevorg Parsyan after the vote. The letter, signed by 177 residents of Artsvanik, was addressed to the community head and council members. According to Spartak Harutyunyan, he had previously informed Kapan Aldermen's Council about the signature collection being carried out in Artsvanik.
The letter states: “We, the residents of Artsvanik village, are against the expansion of Artsvanik tailings dam. Therefore, we request and demand that the head of the Kapan community and the members of the Kapan Council oppose the expansion project proposed by ZCMC CJSC.
Dear Community Head and dear Council Members,
We believe it is no secret to any rational-thinking person that the expansion of the tailings dam is a conscious or unconscious plan to eliminate the village. And while for the frequently changing owners, their primary concern is profit and an attitude of ‘after us, let there be a flood,’ you must act in the interest of the people who want to continue living in their own village.”
At the December 10 session, the Kapan Community Council also passed another decision with 21 votes in favor to grant limited use rights (servitude) for drilling operations to “Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine” CJSC until May 30, 2041, on agricultural lands belonging to the Kapan community in the villages of Sevakar, Chapni, and Artsvanik, which fall within the mining allocation area.
These lands include:
• Sevakar: 2.39593 hectares, with an annual fee of 2,476,650 AMD.
• Artsvanik: 1.08764 hectares, with an annual fee of 1,124,290 AMD.
• Chapni: 0.37169 hectares, with an annual fee of 384,220 AMD.
• Chapni (additional): 2.89933 hectares, with an annual fee of 2,997,000 AMD.
December 13, 2024 at 13:23