REGNUM
The last visit of Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, to Armenia became a significant impetus to develop China-Armenia economic relations. Meanwhile significant increase in investments promised by the Chinese party will refer to, first of all, to mining sphere.
Wide-scale plans of cooperation with the Chinese metallurgists caused a similar wide-scale anxiety to Armenian environmentalists. First of all, the Chinese will start developing Hrazdan iron mine (Kotayk Region, Armenia) located approximately 55 km far away from Yerevan. Not far away from the mine are located drinking water springs that supply both Yerevan and a number of other towns and villages. Armenian capital gets 40% of its drinking water from here, said “For Sustainable Human Development” Association Chairman Karine Danielyan. Under her, as a result "we will either get deprived of water or it will be contaminated with toxic wastes.”
“EcoLur” would like to add to what the agency says, as a result of the past discussion of this problem in Armenian Technology Academy plans to opencast develop Hrazdan iron mine were negatively assessed. According to Armenian Technology Academy Member Gagik Ghazaryan, these intentions have nothing in common with innovation technologies, which Armenia needs most of all.
According to Ecological and Social Association Head Srbuhi Harutyunyan, the Chinese party “may find itself in a hard situation”, as “apparently it is not insufficiently aware of the situation with permitting documents on Hrazdan mine.” Under her, these documents “are vulnerable from the legal point of view.”
April 22, 2011