More than four dozen NGOs in Armenia issued a statement condemning the start of development of the Amulsar mine

ArmInfo. More than four dozen Armenian non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement against the backdrop of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) taking place in Yerevan, condemning the start of development of the Amulsar mine.

The statement, signed by representatives of Armenian civil society, environmental initiatives, activists, and citizens concerned about the preservation of biodiversity in the country, expressed bitterness at the fact that just a week before COP17, the Armenian government demonstratively participated in the launch of a catastrophic mining project that directly violates the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) and hinders Armenia's achievement of the goals set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework Convention on Biodiversity. (RBR).

The statement notes that there is abundant scientific evidence of the negative impacts of this project, local communities have fought against the project for years, facing numerous pressures, and in 2025, the Administrative Court of Armenia found that the project's environmental impact assessment was improperly conducted, which led to the validation of some mining licenses.

"In our view, with this act, the government is demonstrating to its citizens and the international community that it prioritizes the interests of foreign mining companies and investment funds over the interests of the current and future generations of its country, international environmental law, and its obligation to comply with it. The mountainous region where the open-pit gold mining and cyanide solution program was announced is the heart of Armenia's water management system." Mount Amulsar is surrounded by rivers that irrigate the Vayots Dzor wine region and the Syunik agricultural region, as well as the Kechut Reservoir, built to protect Lake Sevan (and the Vorotan-Arpa-Sevan tunnel). "It is home to rich biodiversity, including species protected by international and local law," the statement received by ArmInfo continues. [The statement's authors are convinced that the opening of the Amulsar mine sets Armenia back in achieving most of the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Noting that the mine's opening is inconsistent with Armenia's compliance with several UN environmental goals, civil society representatives also noted that a major forum of representatives from the mining industry, the economic sector with the greatest impact on biodiversity loss, was held in Armenia on the eve of COP 17.

"We don't believe this is a coincidence: lobbying from this sector, closely linked to the financial sector, is strongest in Armenia, and it's possible that it will also attempt to influence discussions at COP 17. We urge representatives of the Convention's member states at the meeting in Yerevan not only to highlight their achievements in fulfilling the Convention's goals but also to directly address the lack of political will." We recognize that political will is not an abstract concept; it depends on the global and local political and economic order, the degree of democracy, debt dependency, investor protection agreements and threats of corporate arbitrage, inequality between states, geopolitical blackmail, security vulnerabilities and the foreign policy of "resource extraction for security purposes," as well as many other limiting factors, the statement continues.

"We would like to inform you that two calls have been addressed to the government: the first is to stop the illegal mining project in Amulsar and conduct a new environmental impact assessment in accordance with the long-standing demand of the Standing Committee and the Bureau of the Berne Convention, as well as the citizens of Armenia. The second call is to adopt legislation protecting environmental rights defenders from frivolous lawsuits (anti-SLAPP)," the statement continues.

Among the signatories of the statement are the Armenian Environmental Front civic volunteer initiative, Professional Education Reforms, New Culture of Justice, the Community Consolidation and Support Center, the Ecolur information NGO, the Green Armenia environmental educational NGO, Armenian Progressive Youth, Citadel, the Women's Resource Center, the ECO-Group youth environmental NGO, the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, and several dozen other NGOs.