Human Activities Cause Far Greater Damage to Sevan than Amulsar Operations, Says Pashinyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, addressed the issue of the Amulsar mine's operation during a live session on his Facebook page today. He first quoted his statement from June 25, 2018, where he indicated that he does not understand the civil disobedience process at Amulsar, stressing that their actions should be based on facts and that they are not constrained by anything; any decision must be rooted in irrefutable evidence, unless the issue is sabotage.

He presented the results of an international expert examination concerning the operation of the Amulsar mine, which the Investigative Committee reported at a government meeting. He noted that even in the worst-case scenario, the damage caused by the mine's operation would be so minimal that it would be immeasurable. "For example, if someone washes their car on the shores of Sevan, it undoubtedly causes environmental damage to Lake Sevan, but it is so small that we cannot measure the damage through laboratory analysis. Let me provide another example: Currently, due to human activities around the shore areas of Sevan, the lake is facing dozens, if not hundreds, of times more damage than that which could be caused in the case of exceptional circumstances linked to Amulsar's operations," he said.

Pashinyan mentioned that the head of the Investigative Committee stated that the project for Jermuk's waters poses no danger, and the risks associated with the waterways of the Arpa-Varotan rivers are manageable. He stated that the company 'Ellard' indicated that there are uncertainties, but even in these cases, if Lydian implements the 16 mitigation measures, the risks will be predictable, meaning there would be no contaminated water. Lydian asserts that they plan to implement ten of these mitigation measures, and five more will be included, thus corroborating the conclusions of the Investigative Committee.

Regarding the argument that investigative bodies are not environmental specialists, the Prime Minister provided an example, noting that the Investigative Committee examines various cases, including murders and counterfeit money, and draws conclusions. "We acknowledge that there are risks, but the environmental risk is manageable," he stated, assuring that continuous monitoring would be conducted. If they observe that Lydian fails to comply with conditions during mining operations, they will provide a warning as per the legislation and offer 90 days to rectify the deficiencies; if not resolved, the mine will be closed.

Pashinyan emphasized that Amulsar would be operated under very high environmental standards, unprecedented in Armenia. He pointed out that under the current conditions, the Armenian government should require other mines to elevate their standards and that it has leverage to compel these companies to comply. He noted that many mining companies support actions against the operation of the Amulsar mine to avoid costs associated with raising their standards. "We have stated in our electoral program that the highest environmental standards will apply in Armenia," he added.