Author: Kanayan Tamar

LAS VEGAS RICHES IN ARMENIA: SARAVAN PINS ITS HOPES ON AMOULSAR GOLD MINE
Kristine Aghalaryan

hetq
10:36, July 24, 2012

Real estate prices in the tiny Vayots Dzor village of Saravan are on
the rise.

A house that went for $1,500-$2,000 just a few years ago now goes for
$10,000. So what’s behind the sudden “gold rush” in Saravan? That’s
right; it’s the yellow metal itself.

You see, much of the village’s pastures abut Mt. Amoulsar and that’s
where the gold ore is supposed to be. The Saravan village municipality
has already handed over 1,363 hectares of land to the mining company
Geoteam for prospecting and 136 hectares for mining operations.

In return, Geoteam pays the village an annual sum of 30 million AMD
for leasing and other payments.

Saravan Mayor Simon Babayan told me that this new influx of cash has
raised the spirits of local residents and authorities alike. They
all see a rosy future on the horizon.

The mining company has installed a 7 kilometre gas pipeline through
the mountains to the village. The village will have a new kindergarten
this September and the upper fields will be irrigated for the first
time. The International Fund for Agricultural Development will be
setting up a 15 hectare experimental fruit-growing complex in the
village.

Mayor Babayan points to all these projects as a harbinger of better
days for Saravan and boasts that people have stopped leaving the
village.

Saravan was populated by Azeri Turks before the war. After they left,
Armenian refuges from Azerbaijan and young families from the local
area moved in. Today, Saravan boasts a population of 346.

Only the peak of Mt. Amoulsar is visible from Saravan. Most of the
lands leased to Geoteam lie 10-30 kilometres from the village and
are hardly used for animal grazing. There just aren’t enough animals.

Geoteam CJSC is a 95% owned subsidiary of Lydian International
Limited. Exploration activities undertaken in 2008 identified 16.4 t of
gold reserves. In 2009 the company obtained a special Mining License
from RA Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and in December
2009, after meeting all legal requirements, signed a Mining License
Agreement. The company states that since incorporation in 2005, it
has invested more than USD 15 million into its activities in Armenia.

Lydian International Limited, based in the British Channel Islands,
is a publically quoted company listed on the Toronto (Canada) Stock
Exchange (TSX:LYD). Lydian is a mineral exploration and development
company with expertise and a proven track record in discovering and
developing new gold deposits. Lydian’s largest shareholders are the
International Finance Corporation, (part of the World Bank Group),
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Newmont
Mining Corporation (the World’s second largest gold miner).

Amoulsar is a brand new gold discovery, the first for over 20 years
in Armenia. It is located along a high ridge top between the Vayots
Dzor and Syunik provinces.

Since discovery of the Amoulsar gold deposit in 2006, Geoteam CJSC has
completed surface analysis of gold content in exposed rock outcrops,
analysed the soil for trace indications of gold and conducted
geophysical surveys to project the possible subsurface shape and
extent of the gold deposit at Amoulsar. Since 2007 the Company has
conducted four summer seasons of exploration drilling on the project.

Drill holes have tested the gold content along the ridge top down
to depths of up to 250 meters below the surface. In total 395 drill
holes and 46000 metres of drilling have been completed by Geoteam by
the end of 2010.

On its website, Geoteam says it will use an open pit method for
extracting the ore. This ore will then be transported from the open
pit area to a crusher which will reduce the size of the rocks. These
smaller rocks will be transported to a heap leach pad and the gold
will be extracted over a period of time.

The company claims that the heap leaching method is used
internationally on many projects and is a recognised form of gold
extraction process. Geoteam adds that it is currently focused on
identifying all risks and completing a full risk assessment and risk
prevention measures for the whole of the Amoulsar project.

The company claims that dust from drilling will not impact the local
villages and the resort town of Jermouk some 13 kilometres away.

Geoteam says that 95% of the dust will come to rest at distance of
100 meters from the site and the remainder will not travel more than
1,000 meters. A sanitary protection zone around metal ore deposits
has been set at 1000 m and the closest village to the deposit is over
5 kms away, the company states.

Environmental activists argue that the site is used as a migratory
passage for many animals registered in the red Book of Endangered
Species and is important in terms of overall biodiversity. It is the
natural habitat of many unique species of flora as well.

This doesn’t seem to concern local residents. All they want is jobs.

Saravan Municipality specialist Razmik Manoukyan says that they
have voiced all their concerns to the company and that Geoteam has
scientifically proven that any environmental or health threats are
unsubstantiated.

“They’ve even installed radon gas meters in all the houses. All
levels are at normal range even though mining operations have begun,”
says Manoukyan.

Rouzan Asatryan, another municipality specialist, adds that
environmental activists from Yerevan don’t know the full story and
boasts that the company has even set-up a tree nursery in Saravan. The
tress will be planted as a protective belt around the mine to further
limit any dust fallout on the villages below.

Zara Gevorgyan, is a young biochemist living in Saravan. She’s married
with a young child. She works at Geoteam as an assistant environmental
specialist. She takes samples of the local air, water and soil. Some
of the samples are sent to a lab in Armenia for analysis and the rest
to an overseas testing facility.

“All the results are within internationally accepted norms. All
that talk of uranium and other stuff is bogus and just meant to
create panic,” says Zara, adding that she’d be the first to sound
the alarm if anything was found to be a health risk given that she
has a small child.

She says that at recent public hearings in Jermouk, Armenian activists
weren’t able to provide valid data that uranium indeed exists.

Local residents say all this doomsday talk is the work of Ashot
Arsenyan, the owner of Jermouk Group. They say that MP Arsenyan saw
that many of his workers were leaving his employee (at around monthly
wages of 60,000 AMD) for higher paying jobs at Amoulsar (120,000 AMD).

Right now, there are 8 Saravan residents working at the mine according
to Razmik Manoukyan. The total labor force at Amoulsar is around 130.

Geoteam says it will train another 200-300 locals for jobs at the mine.

Based on the prospects of even more job openings, Saravan plans to
allocate an additional 100 hectares to Geoteam. This translates into
an additional budgetary inflow of 24-25 million AMD.

Mayor Babayan says if all this new revenue, some 60 million,
is reinvested in Saravan the village will resemble the Armenian
equivalent of Las Vegas within 5 years.

“It’s just a pity that I don’t have a photo of what the village looked
like before all this development. It would have been great to compare
the new with the old.”

AN ARMENIAN KIDNAPPED BY SYRIAN REBELS MANAGED TO ESCAPE

ARMENPRESS
24 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian nature Khachik Sargsyan has
been kidnapped by the rebels in al-Hasakah city, Syria. As Syrian
Armenian community facebook responsible briefed Armenpress, the
opposition side had stopped Sargsyan’ s car and abducted him: the
latter on his way to home.

Facebook page responsible informs three hours later of the incident
Khachik Sargsyan fortunately managed to escape when the attackers
were in a quarrel.

As Armenpress reported earlier Free Syrian Army representatives
announced on their intention to capture the city of Aleppo. Colonel
Abdel Jabar Al-Okaydi in his statement posted in You Tube stated,
national and religious minorities might not have concerns pertain
to future actions. ‘~RFree Syrian Army is going to protect all,
repagradless being Armenian or Assyrian, Kurdish or Druze. In his
words Syrian opposition will also protect Assad racial alevis.

Syrian Armenian Community representative Nazaret Elmajyan informs
the situation in Aleppo in current moment is quiet and is still under
control by Assad faithful forces. ‘~R The situation is tense mostly in
three districts Salah El-Din, Alsakhur and Al-Haydaria’~R Elmajyan
noted. Though Aleppo is the city most populated with Armenians,
in the mentioned districts our compatriots do not make a large number.

According to the Syrian Human Rights Organization data 17 thousand
192 people died because of the Syrian 16 months ongoing clashes. The
Arab media reports that among the dead11 thousand 897 were peaceful
civilians, and 4348 were security officers. Among the victims there
were 7 Armenians, 2 of which were the Syrian Army militaries. The
Syrian riots make the Syrians leave the country appearing in other
countries as refugees. Recently the Armenian community representatives
also leave the country. The refugee status or asylum applications from
Syria are considered in an accelerated procedure, at least ten days.

The head of the State Migration Service Gagik Eganyan in response to
the question raised by “Armenpress” stated that 6 families with 16
members applied Armenia for an asylum with a refugee status.

DILEMMA OF KARABAKH OPPOSITION
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:19:01 – 23/07/2012

After the elections in Karabakh, the topic number one has become the
formation of the opposition. MP Vitali Balasanyan, who received about
the third of the votes, stated that it would be expedient to set up
a political force which would reflect the interests of the 30% of the
population who is dissatisfied with the activities of the government.

Right after the elections, head of the NKR committee of Helsinki
initiative 92 Karen Ohanjanyan issued a statement calling to dissolve
the parliament and create a new one which would correspond to the
new alignment of forces. It is noteworthy that a number of Armenian
experts predicted the formation of an oppositional group in the
homogenous parliament of NKR.

Karabakh~Rs parliament was elected in 2010 and in order to ensure
opposition representation there, it is indeed necessary to dissolve it,
which is actually impossible, or to set up an opposition group through
a ~Schirurgic intervention~T. Vitali Balasanyan, who does not belong
to any party, was a member of the ARFD non-opposition parliamentary
group, but he was ~Sleft out~T from the group after he had accused
the ARF of supporting the acting president.

There are two more groups in the parliament ~V Democracy and Free
Homeland, as well as a group of independent MPs called Artsakhatun.

Among these deputies, there will surely be people who would like to
join Vitali Balasanyan and declare themselves opposition.

But these are only technical issues; the important is the true
intentions of the authorities and the opposition. It is clear that the
outcome of the elections, despite the sincere and strong competition,
turned out ideal for Bako Sahakyan. He won receiving at the same time
the image of a democrat. Only the opposition in the parliament lacks
for the ~Scompletion of the democratic image~T, but it may appear soon.

Bako Sahakyan will hardly create obstacles to this, moreover, his
task is to ensure a platform for the next presidential elections.

So far, the opposition in Karabakh, which has somehow existed, was
not institutionalized. On the one hand, the lack of representation
in the parliament was seen as a weakness, on the other hand, it
provided the full independence of actions. The authorities could not
control the opposition because it was not formalized in a party. No
accident, in his interview to Analitikon monthly, Bako Sahakyan noted
that ~Scertain public and political figures and organizations which
consider themselves opposition, not only do not form an opposition
force in accordance with the accepted standards but they prefer
to deal with non-constructive criticism … In our country, all the
conditions for the existence of institutional and classical opposition
are created and the authorities not only don~Rt prevent it, but and
are interested in forming such a force~T.

Actually, the appearance of an oppositional force in the parliament
is expedient from the point of view of the democratic image of the
country, political awakening of Artsakh, but also it will legitimize
Bako Sahakyan~Rs authority. However, taking into account the fact
that parliamentary elections are due in Karabakh in three years and
presidential elections in five, and Bako Sahakyan won~Rt have the
chance to run for the third tenure, the formation of an opposition
wing in Karabakh may become the basis of the true democracy in Artsakh.

But it will happen only in case the opposition is not satisfied with
the 30% result but goes on working our alternative, adequate and
urgent projects of development of Artsakh. This is valid for the
political and economic policies which need conceptual transformations.

Currently, the principle is ~Shere is a piece of bread, take it
and don~Rt interfere in the politics~T, does not work anymore. New
proposals are necessary.

TURKIC BUSINESS COUNCIL: SO-CALLED “ELECTIONS” IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH ARE NOT LEGITIMATE

Trend
July 23 2012
Azerbaijan

The recent so-called “elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh are not legitimate
and legally justified, as the Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s
inseparable part, Secretary General of the Turkic Business Council
Halil Akinci told Trend today.

“Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s integral part,” he said. “If any
elections are held there, the elections of the Azerbaijani Republic
will be conducted.”

He also stressed that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has been
recognized by the OSCE Minsk Group, the UN and other international
organizations.

Akinci said that Turkic Business Council and Turkic countries do not
recognize the so-called “elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh and support
Azerbaijan in its just struggle for the liberation of occupied lands.

The so-called “presidential elections” took place in the occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan on July 19,
2012. No world country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as independent
and sovereign state.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

ARMENIA OFFER BIG CASH INCENTIVES TO ATHLETES

Gulf Today
July 24 2012
UAE

YEREVAN: Grachia Rostomyan, Armenia’s National Olympic Committee
(NOC) secretary general, on Monday announced cash incentives for the
country’s medal winners at the upcoming London Olympics.

Armenia’s NOC will pay any Olympic gold medal winner $100,000 (82,000
euros) while silver medalists will pocket $75,000. Bronze medalists
will receive $50,000.

Rostomyan said the country’s government will also give the Games
medalists an additional cash bonus of $50,000, $37,000 and $25,000
for gold, silver and bronze respectively.

Meanwhile, the NOC president Gagik Tsarukyan, a leading businessman
and head of the “Prosperous Armenia” party, said he was ready to pay
a $700,000 bonus to every country’s Olympic gold medal winner.

RUSSIA AND AZERBAIJAN MAY SETTLE THEIR DISPUTE OVER GABALA, IF COMMON SENSE PREVAILS; RUSSIAN EXPERT SAYS

/ARKA/
July 23, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 23. /ARKA/. Russia and Azerbaijan may settle their
dispute over the Gabala radar station, leased by Russia in Azerbaijan,
if common sense prevails, Mikhail Alexandrov, a Russian political
scientist and expert on the Caucasus at the CIS Institute, said today.

Moscow and Baku are currently negotiating the terms of a lease
extension for the Gabala radar station. To Russia’s surprise – and
dismay – Azerbaijani authorities are now asking Russia to pay $300
million a year instead of the seven million dollars a year previously
paid. In late May 2012, Russia threatened to terminate the radar
lease agreement. A Russian source close to the negotiations was
quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that Moscow was stunned by
the unjustified demand for a substantial lease price increase. Russia
could build two new similar radar stations on its own territory for
the same amount of money, it said.

December 24, 2012 will mark the end of the lease contract of the
station, built by the Soviet Union in 1984 to monitor missile launches
at distances as far as 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) away. This
remains Russia’s only military presence in Azerbaijan. Russian defense
ministry said it would like to extend the contract until 2025.

“Azerbaijan is now under very strong Western pressure. The West has
promised it something. Moscow and Baku mail fail reach an agreement.

But if common sense prevails in Baku, it should agree to extend the
lease and drop its fee lease rise demand,” he said Monday at Novosti
international press center in Yerevan.

According to him, Gabala increases the value of Azerbaijan in Moscow’s
eyes. “Without Gabala Azerbaijan’s value for Moscow will slash and
respectively its ability of influencing Moscow. I think it would be
extremely disadvantageous for Azerbaijan. Gabala is not an issue,
where Baku can sacrifice Moscow’s good attitude, he said.

Andrei Areshev, a representative of the Institute of Political and
Social Research of the Black Sea and Caspian regions, said Russia is
cutting on its presence in Gabala. The families of Russian officers
were taken to Russia and the school for their children was shut.

According to him, there is an element of political bargaining in the
talks, but this issue should not be linked to Nagorno-Karabakh. “They
are different questions. Gabala is a question of Russian-Azerbaijani
relations, although there is an mixture of foreign influence, and
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem has a wider foreign policy context,
and I do not see any opportunities for trading here,” said Areshev.

IN CASE OF WAR IN KARABAKH, RUSSIA WILL MAINTAIN MILITARY NEUTRALITY – RUSSIAN ANALYST

news.am
July 23, 2012 | 15:50

YEREVAN. – In the case of military operations at the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict zone, Russia will not carry out a military intervention,
but it will exert all political and legal efforts to end the military
operations, Black Sea-Caspian Region Political and Social Research
Institute analyst Andrei Areshev stated during a press conference
on Monday.

At the same time Areshev noted that localizing military operations
in such small region is not too likely.

“In addition, there is an official position and there are demands that
are closer to reality. And, at the crucial moment, the commander at the
battlefront does not think that much about being dismissed,” he said.

In his turn, CIS Institute political scientist, analyst Mikhail
Aleksandrov stressed that such military operations will be connected
with the territory of Armenia, too. He stressed that Armenia will
provide military assistance to Karabakh, and therefore Azerbaijan will
be compelled to strike Armenia. Otherwise, its entire infrastructure
will be destroyed.

“And at that time the CSTO mechanism will become active,” Aleksandrov
noted.

And responding to Armenian News-NEWS.am’s query as to how Armenia
and Nagorno-Karabakh today must react to Azerbaijan’s provocations,
Mikhail Aleksandrov stated that the force of the Armenian party’s
retaliation needs to surpass that of Azerbaijan.

“If the aggressor always receives an equivalent response, it will
continue to behave inappropriately. Aggression must be quelled,”
Mikhail Aleksandrov noted.

FORMER ARMENIAN FM TO APPEAL NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE DECISION

news.am
July 23, 2012 | 17:46

YEREVAN. – Former Armenian FM and MP Vartan Oskanian said he would
continue appealing the Armenian National Security Service (NSS)
decision in other structures up to the Court of Appeals.

The Civilitas Foundation’s founder Oskanian posted the statement
on Facebook.

His comments came after the court denied the petition by attorney
Tigran Atanesyan, who demanded that the lawsuit on charges of money
laundering should be closed.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am earlier informed, the court on Monday,
denied the petition by attorney Tigran Atanesyan, who represents The
Civilitas Foundation’s founder, former FM, and currently Prosperous
Armenia Party MP Vartan Oskanian.

To note, Oskanian’s lawyer was appealing the investigator’s decision
to open a criminal lawsuit by the National Security Service (NSS). And
Oskanian is a witness in this case. Also he had stated that this is
political persecution.

YEREVAN MAYOR WELCOMES DIASPORA-ARMENIAN YOUNGSTERS

news.am
July 23, 2012 | 14:27

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s capital city Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan hosted
the Diaspora-Armenian youth, who have arrived in Yerevan within the
framework of the Diaspora Ministry’s “Come Home” Program for young
Diaspora Armenians. The youngsters were accompanied by Diaspora
Minister Hranush Hakobyan.

“Numerous youth have already visited the capital city of their
historical homeland along the lines of the ‘Come Home’ Program, and
I am confident that they loved Yerevan. I believe you have become
convinced that the Motherland is the world’s most dear place. You can
rest assured that the Motherland, Yerevan are always waiting for you,”
Margaryan said in his opening remarks.

To note, over 200 children have arrived in Armenia within the framework
of the fifth phase of the current year’s “Come Home” Program, and
they will spend twenty days in the homes of host families.

In her turn, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan informed that the
geographical scope of this Program’s participants has broadened
over the course of years, and children from all Armenian diaspora
communities have arrived in Yerevan this year.

The children, who were hosted at Yerevan Municipality, received
printed souvenirs about Yerevan and, also, they presented a small
cultural performance.

Subsequently, the kids visited the History Museum of Yerevan.

ARMENIA, WB NEGOTIATE CREATING NETWORK OF IT CENTERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 23, 2012 – 16:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia and the World Bank (WB) are in negotiations
to create information center network in the republic, Minister of
Economy said.

“This implies setting up of IT-centers in Armenian provinces,
particularly in cities of Vanadzor and Charentsavan and elsewhere
with potential for development of high information technologies,”
Tigran Davtyan said.

According to him, as of the first half of 2012 positive dynamics
has been observed in IT sector, with construction works of Gyumri
Technopark launched in May.