My viewpoint cannot differ from the Prime Minister's position. The newly appointed minister on Amulsar

The Ministry of Environment's top priority is the restoration of Lake Sevan's ecosystem. This was stated by the newly appointed Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan in an interview with Public Television, noting that the issue has accumulated over decades of inconsistent and careless exploitation.

According to Romanos Petrosyan, the primary step should be to keep the Sevan basin clean and to prevent the direct mixing of waste, including sewage discharges, by operators, which will require additional financial resources.

“There are numerous cases of illegal constructions and land seizures. About 500 hectares of vegetated areas are already submerged under the lake, leading to the lake becoming swampy, which ultimately results in the emergence of blue-green algae,” said the minister, adding that he has already held several consultations on this issue.

The newly appointed minister also addressed the issues of mining. “Many formerly exploited or partially utilized abandoned mines, tailings, and closed and semi-closed tailings dumps are currently posing numerous problems for citizen health. Many issues simply would not exist if state supervisory bodies were diligent and operators complied with legal requirements. The existing legislation requires reclamation work to be carried out on closed tailings, but today, show me a tailings dump – starting from the most serious mining companies – that has undergone reclamation; they seem to be abandoned apocalyptic areas in this paradise of a country,” Petrosyan emphasized.

Touching upon the issue of the Amulsar mine, Romanos Petrosyan stated: “I will speak about Amulsar after serving in a specific capacity for a while, when I become fully acquainted with expert assessments, and after I conduct meetings and consultations. I will be ready for a clear, transparent, and honest conversation with our environmentalists, interested parties, and the citizens of Armenia. But broadly speaking, my viewpoint on any issue, including that related to Amulsar, cannot differ from the Prime Minister's or our government's position; we will naturally operate within that context, and specific, substantive assessments and viewpoints will be expressed after some time,” he said.