International Suspicious Organization in Syunik: 'Past'

'Past' newspaper writes: Years ago, the activities of Armenian environmental organizations could be seen as an ideological struggle for the protection of the country's environment. In some cases, this was indeed true. However, developments in recent years have shown that, as much as there is a problem of environmental protection and improvement, a significant portion of Armenian environmental organizations have focused not on revealing real issues but rather on undermining specific targeted programs and sectors.

Consider for yourself—from tree felling in Yerevan to burning landfills, from transportation emissions to uncontrolled construction with cement and other toxic materials—these have a direct and very clear impact on public health. Yet, the target of environmental activists remains the backbone of the Armenian economy: the mining industry. This is surprisingly in line with Azerbaijan's aggressive and observable assaults on the Armenian economy, especially following the 44-day war.

Over the past year, Azerbaijani media has organized large-scale media campaigns against Armenian mining companies such as Kajaran, Sotk, and Amulsar, reaching a 'peak' by presenting Armenia as an enemy of nature and the environment during COP29. Much has been written about this. For this campaign unleashed against Armenia, Azerbaijan primarily utilized the statements made over the years by Armenian environmentalists, often based on fabricated claims. Armenian environmentalists frequently perceive reminders of this as painful, asking why they are being accused of aiding Azerbaijan.

Yet, none of this can be ignored, especially considering that several Armenian NGOs continue to facilitate the activities of dubious 'international' organizations reminiscent of espionage in Armenia. In particular, the Czech-origin 'Arnika' organization continues to supply Armenia's mining sector with supposedly 'scientific' data, either directly or indirectly.

According to a publication from the 'EcoLur' NGO's website dated January 7, it appears that a grant program provided by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs for detecting industrial pollution in other countries has also reached the Syunik region. Of course, the organization's name is not mentioned in this article following the uproar regarding it in December 2023; however, the official logos of 'Arnika' and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs' grant program are present at the beginning of the material.

Since 2018, experts from the Czech NGO have been taking biological samples of water and soil in various regions of Armenia (Ararat, Lori, Kotayk, and Aragatsotn) for years in collaboration with the 'Community Mobilization and Support Center' and 'EcoLur' NGOs, studying pathways of heavy metal spread in operating mines and tailings there. In fact, this Czech NGO continues to promote the idea that Armenia is polluting the region.

No one has verified the data from this Czech organization, but it is actively cited in Azerbaijani media. It should be noted that this Czech organization, with the support of Armenian NGOs, has visited Armenia in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, according to various publications. It is curious that in Azerbaijan and Turkey, they have never dealt with cases of industrial pollution.

However, this circumstance seems not to be a concern for Armenian environmental NGOs, which continue to collaborate with this dubious foreign organization. A question arises as to why a suspicious Czech organization, whose activities have been widely covered in Azerbaijani websites, is engaged in 'revealing this problem'. Is this a coincidence or not? Remarkably, the publication of the aforementioned article coincided with the release of a war-hungry interview with the President of Azerbaijan, where the so-called 'Zangezur corridor', directly related to the Syunik region, was once again mentioned. Without a doubt, all of this already raises a national security issue, which we hope is still being addressed in Armenia...