VIDEO: Lydian Conducts Public Discussions in Jermuk, Inviting International Experts

For a long time, various groups have claimed that Lydian has not conducted any public discussions in Jermuk. On this occasion, we want to definitively close this artificially created topic and remind everyone: the issue of whether a community is affected is determined not by the natural resource user, but by the authorized state body, namely the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia. The company has acted in accordance with the position of the authorized body regarding the recognition or non-recognition of a community as affected during its Environmental Impact Assessment process.

At the same time, even in cases where Jermuk has not been recognized as an affected community by the authorized body, the company has held public discussions in Jermuk, invited international specialists, and presented the environmental aspects of the project. The announcement about public discussions was made public, and a personal invitation was handed to at least 700 residents of Jermuk. Many residents of Jermuk participated in the discussions, and furthermore, today some activists opposing the Amulsar project also attended public discussions held in Yerevan. Evidence for this is provided in the video.

In addition, in the case of the latest Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by the company, Jermuk was already recognized as an affected community by the authorized body. However, Armenian legislation does not require public hearings to be held in all affected communities if there are more than one. Specifically, according to point 5 of the procedure approved by the Armenian government’s decision No. 1325-N dated 19.11.2014, if the number of affected communities is more than one, the organization of public notification and discussions, in cooperation with the developer, is ensured by the head of the community within whose administrative boundaries the activity is planned, ensuring the participation of representatives from all affected communities, which has been done by the company.