Erik Grigoryan: The preliminary data for a number of areas for  developing the Amulsar mine were inaccurate

ArmInfo. On September 4, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, the Government of Armenia held regular  discussions on the development of the Amulsar gold mine.

According to the press service of the Government of the Republic of  Armenia, during the discussions the Minister of the Environment Erik  Grigoryan presented the general situation around this program, noting  that the Preliminary data presented in a number of areas were  inaccurate.

During the discussions, a question was raised related to the  procedure for a new environmental impact assessment of the Amulsar  project (EIA), legal aspects of the problem, new environmental  factors, etc.  Summarizing the discussions, the Prime Minister  instructed all concerned departments and institutions to work in a  coordinated manner to provide a comprehensive investigation and  comprehensive data for the preliminary investigation.

It should be noted that after the change of the Armenian government,  Lydan's activity was stopped, including as a result of protests by  environmental activists. The Armenian government decided to conduct  an additional EIA examination, which was ordered by ELARD. The other  day after the publication of the ELARD expertise and the conclusion  of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the Prime Minister of the  Republic of Armenia, the members of the government were inclined to  believe that the document, in fact, leaves almost no open questions  regarding the feasibility of exploiting the Amulsar mine. This  statement caused a second wave of environmental protest and  dissatisfaction with part of society. In this regard, Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan decided to hold a video conference with  representatives of ELARD to finally clarify the situation. After the  conference, however, Pashinyan made another statement, stressing that  during the conversation with the ELARD experts, new circumstances  emerged that require additional evaluation and consideration.

Amulsar gold mine is the second largest gold mine in Armenia, it  contains about 31 million tons of ore and 40 tons of pure gold. It is  located in the south-east of the country, 13 km from the spa town of  Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan. Environmentalists and  ordinary citizens are concerned that the operation of the mine could  lead to pollution of groundwater in Jermuk and Lake Sevan.