Green Activists Demand Prime Minister To Declare Project Of Developm

GREEN ACTIVISTS DEMAND PRIME MINISTER TO DECLARE PROJECT OF DEVELOPMENT OF TEGHOUT MINE INVALID

arminfo
Thursday, February 9, 17:09

Green activists have appealed to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan for annulling the project of development of the Teghout mine.

The statement by Save Teghout Initiative Group provided to ArmInfo
reads that the activists demand annulment of the government decision
dated Nov 1 2007 on exploitation of Teghout mine, revocation of ACP
Company’s license for use of minerals, as well as elaboration of an
environmental development project for Teghout.

The government in Nov 2007 approved project of exploitation of the
Teghout copper and molybdenum mine. As it was reported earlier, the
project submitted to the government did not properly show the
environment impact assessment. In addition, exploitation of the mine
contradicts the country’s legislation and international conventions
signed by Armenia. In the autumn of 2010 the Aarhus Convention
Compliance Committee passed a resolution saying that Armenia as a
party to the Convention failed to fulfill certain of its commitments.

A protest action against development of Teghout copper-molybdenum
deposit was held in Teghout on Jan 15. Over 200 people (green
activists, politicians and men of culture) from Yerevan, Vanadzor and
Gyumri expressed their protest against the ore-mining project.

Afterwards on Jan 27 the project was discussed in Moscow.

To recall, the public organizations have been actively fighting
against the development of Teghout deposit since 2007.

Environmentalists say that the project will not only have a
destructive effect on the environment of the region (357 ha of forests
will be cut), but will also have a positive impact on the
health of the residents of the nearby populated areas. Many of the
plants and animals in Teghout are included in the International Red
Book.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress