This is what I mean when I say to go all the way in pursuit of the truth: Nikol Pashinyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, wrote on his Facebook page: "At the end of July, there was a lot of noise about the alleged imminent collapse of the Teghut mine tailings dam. Let me state outright that if these claims were true, the dam would have collapsed the day before due to the earthquake that occurred in the mining area, where a magnitude 4 earthquake was recorded.

This is what I mean when I say to go all the way in pursuit of the truth. During those days, there was great pressure on the government to halt the operations of the Teghut mine. If we had acted that way, more than 900 people would again be left without jobs, and an inactive mine would create a bigger problem, as there would be no responsible entity to hold accountable, including for ensuring safety and environmental standards.

We decided to take a different path. Inspection bodies went and conducted thorough checks, concluding that there is no threat of the dam collapsing. The earthquake of the previous day proved the truth of that claim. After this, the mine operator was required to carry out an analysis of the tailings dam and ensure its long-term safety. If this condition is ensured, the mine will be operated, no matter how much I dislike it; if this condition is not met, the mine will not be operated, no matter how much I favor it. This is the legal path to truth.

And those who claimed that the Teghut mine would collapse, will they bear any responsibility? Of course not. Because they can claim whatever they like. And if the government had yielded to the pressures, would it bear any responsibility? Of course, yes. At least for reducing Armenia's investment rating, for leaving 940 workers unemployed, and for decreased taxes and economic indicators."