On 17 October, a public action concerning the project to develop the Amulsar gold-bearing quartzite mine took place in the park adjacent to the Yerevan State Conservatory. Participants spoke about the long-standing struggle against the Amulsar project and the risks it poses.
Levon Galstyan, coordinator of the Armenian Environmental Front, noted that operating a mine near the Jermuk resort would mean jeopardising Jermuk and the region’s water resources.
“Residents of Jermuk and Gndevaz opposed the Amulsar project, but the 2020 war broke their spirit as well. In 2018, they blocked all roads leading to the mine’s construction site, becoming the protagonists of one of the longest-running struggles in global environmental history over the past 15–20 years. Then came the war,” Levon Galstyan said.
Environmental activist and human rights defender Nazeli Vardanyan, a representative of Jermuk Community, highlighted the project’s risks, including the area’s high seismic hazard, radiation risks and acid drainage. She noted that the risk of water pollution was considerable, as experts had repeatedly warned.
“If the project has not undergone a new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), it is unclear how these risks have been addressed,” Nazeli Vardanyan said.
She stated that the project had been launched on the basis of an invalid expert assessment conclusion.
“So, today, the mine is operating without an EIA and without involving Jermuk residents in public consultations. We must continue the struggle to the very end,” Nazeli Vardanyan said.
Environmental activist Anna Shahnazaryan, who has also been campaigning against the Amulsar project for years, noted that the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) is currently taking place in Armenia and that the Amulsar project will be raised at the conference.
“We must remain active,” Anna Shahnazaryan said.
“The international community supports you and stands with you in your struggle against the Amulsar project,” said Andrey Ralev, a member of the CEE Bankwatch Network.
Watch the video for more details.
October 18, 2026 at 01:19