EcoLur
The public movement against the implementation of the uranium program in Syunik threatens to become street demonstrations. “We fought for and many died for this land. It turns out that now we will all the same die because of uranium,” exclaimed Chairman of “Azatamart” Committee Khoren Harutyunyan. This statement was made at the Aarhus Center in Kapan, where Kapan (Syunik Marz) public representatives met with the journalists who participated in the media tour held by the Armenian Office of Institute of War and Peace Reporting on 24 May.
“Azatamart” Committee announced signature collecting against the uranium program implementation. Three options for voting are designed, “For”, “Against” and “Abstaining”. The Charity Fund for Kapan Development also joined “Azatamart” Committee. The Fund Director Armen Parsadanyan expressed an opinion that this problem has a political implication. “We all must come out and say “No” not only to uranium reserves development, but also its exploration. We cannot resolve all this at the level of discussions any longer,” said Tigran Stepanyan, Head of “Center for Syunik Development” NGO.
The Coordinator for the Aarhus Center Ashot Avagyan was surprised at the Government decision № 234-N dated on 6 March 2008 “On Participating in Establishing “Armenian-Russian Mining Company” CJSC”.
Much attention was particularly paid to the preamble that says, “Based on the Memorandum on Developing Cooperation in the Sphere of Geological Examinations, Extraction and Processing of Uranium Mines concluded by the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA and Russian Federation State “Rosatom” Corporation on 6 February 2008, the Government decides… ”. Then this text points out certain clauses of this cooperation.
“We learnt out this decision by chance (“EcoLur” Informational NGO found this decision in the archive of the Armenian Government and submitted it to public)”. Still in 2008 a decision was reached to establish a company that must not only explore, but also mine uranium and process it. But in 2009 we held a hearing where we discussed such an issue whether it is reasonable to explore uranium reserves, or not. This is a real theatre,” said Ashot Avagyan, “I completely agree that we must act more determinedly,” he said.
“That Armenia won’t simply be able to endure uranium is already proven. Our country has no such spaces. This will simply be a disaster,” thinks “Khoustoup” NGO President Vladik Martirosyan.
The Legal Consultant of “For Ensuring Ecological Safety and Developing Democracy” NGO Artur Ghazaryan stated, even if the ministry representatives arrive, it won’t be a new public nearing, just another discussion.
On the same day the media tour continued in Lernadzor. Lernadzor villagers didn’t change their opinion: “We say no to uranium program.” Head of local administration Stepan Petrosyan added, “This is not only my opinion, but the whole communities’ instruction before which I bear responsibility.”
The articles published by the media tour participants are given below.
Uranium means the end of all of us
Siranuysh Papyan, Lragir
It has been one year since residents of Lernadzor are worried- they do not know who is going to decide their future- the power or God. Elder residents of the village joke saying that God decided to trial them every 40 years: in 60ies, and now. Still during Soviet Union times, Lernadzor was famous of being an area rich of uranium. In 60ies, exploration works for the first time started there, which resulted in 6 victims. Of course, the village head of Lernadzor remembers only two of them. Nevertheless, the head underlines that the cause of their death was not the uranium (which erodes the organism) but landslides as a result of works.
Then, works stopped. On February 6, 2008 based on an agreement between the Armenian Ministry of Nature and Russian “Rosatom” corporation on nuclear energy was signed on the cooperation in geological exploration, mining and processing sectors, and the Armenian government decided to set up a closed joint stock company for the implementation of the exportation works in mines and started negotiating with the Russian “Atomredmeszoloto” open Joint-Stock Company. After the decision, visits to Lernadzor-uranium “center” started, as well as discussions: but one thing is clear- everyone is against the operation of uranium.
Today, the village has 444 residents which do not have problems with work because most of them work at the Kajaran copper-molybdenum factory. On August 4, 2009, in Aarhus center of Kapan, hearings in connection with the implementation of geological works of uranium and accompanying minerals took place: it is mostly connected with the uranium mine of Lernadzor. Though, they are found out to “hear” one thing and to register another one: they registered as if the community head of Lernadzor is satisfied with the implementation of the project, prospects for new job posts, which does not coincide with the reality, because the real opinion of the head of the community is negative.
On May 24, in Kapan regional municipality, an informational seminar on the possible operation of uranium mines took place in the course of which all participating NGOs, as well as Kapan city hall voiced their disagreement with the program.
Head of “Khustup” nature protecting NGO Vladik Martirossyan voices his concern in connection with the issue: “It is not a secret for anyone that our region has serious ecological problems even without the operation of uranium mines” and added that the problem of uranium is not a problem of the region of Syunik but of all Armenia. He says the operation of uranium mines is senseless in such a small country like Armenia. “They try to persuade us that uranium is dangerous only after enriching. But it is not so. It will ruin the whole region. No one would like our generations bear with 6 heads, 3 legs. A thinking man will understand that people cannot live in Syunik in case of uranium operation posing to danger the life of their future generations”.
Head of the center for civil development of Syunik Tigran Stepanyan says it is time to go out and voice our disagreement and say such explorations are not to be fulfilled; the problem cannot be solved through discussions. By the way, in Kapan and adjacent areas, signature-collecting actions started. While, Lernadzor habitants are in uncertainty. The village head has only one request: to know the future. “We have never disagreed with state projects. We are law-abiding people, we respect our country and its decisions, but now we are confused”.
The point is that in 2005, the government allocated money to the residents of Lernadzor, who after the earthquake in 1968 were living in wooden houses, as a result of which 33 of 112 houses are already built, but in connection with the governmental plans concerning the uranium operation, the residents do not know whether to take to the end the program of construction or no. The village head says that the uranium operation will cause harms: “there are underground waters, which will fall into the river of Voghj and the villagers will leave their homes only in case of operation of uranium. The village now is not poor, everyone has work”.
Operation of uranium is a tragedy for Armenia. Over years, the number of pupils and births decreases and diseases are numerous connected with the fact that Lernadzor is near to Kajaran. A woman working at the copper-molybdenum factory of Kajaran says she is a valuable woman, since all her organism is full of molybdenum, then she stops joking and says through tears, “I do not even know how little is left for me to live”. In case of operation of uranium, all of us, you and me will come down with diseases.
Enviromentalists call to stop uranium program
Karen Ghazaryan, RadioLur
The environmental organizations of Syunik Marz are extremely concerned with exploration of uranium reserves in the territory of Lernadzor Community , Syunik Marz.
About 10 NGOs stated that they will do their best to stop this program. This statement was made at the Aarhus center in Kapan where the uranium program was discussed in the framework of the media tour held by the Armenian Office of Institute of War and Peace Reporting on 24 May…
… “This is all Armenia ’s task, not only that of Kapan or Kajaran…,” said Ashot Avagyan, the Coordinator for the Aarhus Center in Kapan.
Uranium mines-a policy
Mery Soghomonyan, the Aravot
Kapan residents state that they will resist to the uranium program that, in their opinion, is a compulsion exercised by Russia .The program for exploring uranium reserves in Syunik has become a top one issue in this region. The Syunik residents’ opinions, comments of interested organizations and program impact were discussed at the Aarhus Center in Kapan on 24 May. This discussion was held by the initiative of the Institute for Peace and War Reporting…
May 26, 2010 at 06:57