Participants of the rally in Yerevan opposed gold mining at Amulsar.
Opponents of the Amulsar deposit development stated about the environmental risks of mining programs during a protest in Yerevan.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in January 2024, the Armenian government transferred 12.5% of the shares of the geological exploration company Lydian Armenia, which holds the license for the operation of the Amulsar gold mine, to state ownership. The state's participation in the company does not reduce the risks of developing the Amulsar deposit, which threatens the existence of the Jermuk resort, environmentalists indicated.
Since 2014, residents of Jermuk have been protesting against the development of the Amulsar deposit. Activists stated that the lack of information about the development project raises doubts about the conclusions of the environmental expertise conducted, and demanded a new expertise of gold mining. In December 2021, the Investigative Committee stated that it had not identified any abuses in the issuance of permits for the operation of the deposit. On February 22, 2023, the Armenian authorities decided to resume the operation of the "Amulsar" mine despite the protests.
Today, a protest against the operation of the Amulsar deposit has been organized near the building of the Armenian government.
"The protection of nature is inseparable from human rights... The nature and water resources of Armenia are under threat due to Amulsar and other mining programs," News.am quotes the organizers of the rally.
In the video footage published by the publication, several dozen participants of the rally can be seen. Some of them hold placards with inscriptions in English. "Stop polluting our land," is written, in particular, on one of the placards.
It should be noted that in April 2014, the Amulsar gold deposit development project was brought to public hearings. The initiator of the developments, Lydian International, assured that gold mining would have minimal impact on the ecology. In February 2019, the Armenian government allocated about $400,000 for research on the environmental risks of the development of the deposit. An international expert group considered the risks to the environment during the operation of the deposit to be minimal, the Investigative Committee of Armenia stated in August 2019. This statement was met with protests by the residents of Jermuk.
In December 2021, the Investigative Committee of Armenia stated that it had not identified any abuses in the issuance of permits for the operation of the Amulsar deposit.
Residents of the communities of Jermuk and Gndevaz are convinced that gold mining at the Amulsar deposit will lead to an ecological disaster both in the resort city of Jermuk and at Lake Sevan. Activists have repeatedly blocked roads leading from the highway to Jermuk.
Residents of Jermuk have expressed concerns that the operation of the deposit will lead to the demise of the resort, which is famous for its mineral waters, will affect the ecology, and will cause an increase in a number of diseases, including oncological ones.