ArmInfo. On September 16, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Member of Lydian Canada Ventures Board of Directors Geoffrey Coach and Managing Director of Lydian Armenia Hayk Aloyan.
According to the press service of the RA government, during the meeting the interlocutors discussed issues related to the situation around the Amulsar project. The Prime Minister once again stressed that the priority of the RA government is a balanced approach towards the Republic of Armenia, including the communities affected by the project, and all decisions will be made in this context.
To recall, since the summer of 2018, activists have closed the roads leading to the mine, thereby preventing its operation. The Armenian government does not express a clear position on the problem and ways of its settlement. Although this is required by both sides of the confrontation. On September 7, Lydian Armenia security guards beat up environmental activists and Jermuk residents on the outskirts of the Amulsar gold mine. According to activists, the incident was triggered by company management, who ordered security guards to use force against community residents. In response, the company released surveillance footage showing several people throwing stones in the direction of the Lydian Armenia observation post and hitting guard dogs.
The Amulsar gold mine is the second largest in Armenia. According to the company, the mine contains about 73,733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78 g per tonne, as well as 294,367 tons of silver with an average grade of 9.29 g per tonne. It is located in the southeast of the country, 13 km from the resort town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan. Environmentalists and ordinary citizens are concerned that the operation of the mine may lead to the pollution of the mineral underground waters of Jermuk and Lake Sevan.
