On 30 September 2009 Zaruhi Bostanjanyan, the member of the Armenian Delegation to PACE and the representative of “Heritage” faction in the National Assembly, spoke for the human right to health environment and put the legitimacy of Teghout deposit exploitation under question.
In reply Vallex Company Group, the owner of the license on Teghout copper molybdenum deposit development, came forward with a disclaimer of the deputy’s speech. The text of the disclaimer is as follows:
...1. Your abstract statement that RA Government decision on Teghout project dated on 1 November 2007 (and according to you, all the documents resulting from this decision) violates the requirements of RA Constitution, other laws and international conventions is completely not substantiated. And in the past You and Your confederates made abstract and incompetent statements on Teghout project in the course of different discussions. We declare time and again that RA Government decision on Teghout project exploitation and other adopted legal acts don’t violate any provisions of RA Constitution, other Armenian laws and international conventions.
2. In your speech you mentioned that as a result of Teghout deposit development 540 million cubic meters of tailings are formed which are dangerous radioactive wastes. Taking into consideration that you mentioned the statement about 540 million cubic meters earlier, we declare once again that the USSR State Commission on Reserves confirmed the presence of 450 million tons of ore in Teghout deposit in 1991. So far we have no technologies by using of which 540 million cubic meters of tailings will be formed out of 450 million tons of ore. The statement about radioactive wastes is not substantiated. This statement may have been averted if You had consulted with the persons having any idea about this deposit and mining... Still several months ago at our suggestion You were submitted the plan for Teghout mine development and the plan for environmental measures that contain information about ore reserves, data about the number and quality of tailings and other wastes that will be formed as a result of development process.
3. Your speech also has non-substantiated statements that unique species of biodiversity in flora and fauna will be destroyed as a result of mine development…
Best regards
Vallex Company Group
October 16, 2009