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PASSIONS AROUND TEGHOUT ARE RISING: CIVIL SOCIETY NO LONGER WANTS TO PUT UP WITH LAWLESSNESS
arminfo
Monday, January 16, 18:47
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.
"The representatives of Vallex Group did not dare to come up to us.
There were nearly 50 policemen, who were hardly keeping their sympathy
towards the protesters. They approached us and said in a low voice
that they supported us", Tigran Khzmalyan, a filmmaker, representative
of the opposition Sardarapat movement, said to ArmInfo.
According to him, many residents of the nearby villages also supported
the green activists. Their concern over the development of the deposit
is not accidental, Khzmalyan said, as the ore mining activity in
Teghout is fraught with serious environmental problems. "In some 20
years, when the village will be filled with a tailing dump, there
will remain neither forests nor people nor houses there", he said.
Khzmalyan pointed out that according to some data, Teghout deposit
contains minerals worth 20 bln USD, but within the next 25 years the
state budget will receive only 600 mln USD. "The problem of Teghout
is simple and complicated at the same time. The feudalists, who have
occupied the country, are hurrying to rob the country before the
people overthrows their regime. However, the civil society no longer
wants to put up with this lawlessness", he said.
The filmmaker stressed that the collision of interests of the ore
mining industry and ordinary citizens can be observed throughout
Armenia and brought the examples of Kajaran, Hrazdan, etc. "We were
passing by Akhtala, which resembles a moon landscape now. The whole
town is surrounded by tailing dumps, and the toxic liquid from the
Akhtala mining and processing plant was flowing right into the river,
bypassing the tailing dumps. The forest of Teghout will have the same
fate", he said.
For her part, Head of EcoLur NGO Inga Zarafyan recalled that in 2010
the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee in Geneva arrived at a
decision that Armenia failed to implement its commitments as a party
to the Convention. The matter concerned the Teghout project, when
the public's right to participation in the decision-making process
was violated.
She added that the approval of the Teghout project violated 11 national
laws and 7 international conventions. "If we have normal laws, the
development of the Teghout deposit will be acknowledged illegal",
Zarafyan said.
She added that Vallex Group intends to file a lawsuit to the court
against environmentalist who on 15 January organized a get-to-know
demonstration on Teghout project risks on the spot of Teghout deposit.
The company's press release sent to EcoLur NGO said that 'illegal
actions (of environmentalists) resulted in disturbing the activities
of "Teghout" CJSC, the company incurred essential damage, which is
currently estimated by lawyers.'
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.
arminfo
Monday, January 16, 18:47
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.
"The representatives of Vallex Group did not dare to come up to us.
There were nearly 50 policemen, who were hardly keeping their sympathy
towards the protesters. They approached us and said in a low voice
that they supported us", Tigran Khzmalyan, a filmmaker, representative
of the opposition Sardarapat movement, said to ArmInfo.
According to him, many residents of the nearby villages also supported
the green activists. Their concern over the development of the deposit
is not accidental, Khzmalyan said, as the ore mining activity in
Teghout is fraught with serious environmental problems. "In some 20
years, when the village will be filled with a tailing dump, there
will remain neither forests nor people nor houses there", he said.
Khzmalyan pointed out that according to some data, Teghout deposit
contains minerals worth 20 bln USD, but within the next 25 years the
state budget will receive only 600 mln USD. "The problem of Teghout
is simple and complicated at the same time. The feudalists, who have
occupied the country, are hurrying to rob the country before the
people overthrows their regime. However, the civil society no longer
wants to put up with this lawlessness", he said.
The filmmaker stressed that the collision of interests of the ore
mining industry and ordinary citizens can be observed throughout
Armenia and brought the examples of Kajaran, Hrazdan, etc. "We were
passing by Akhtala, which resembles a moon landscape now. The whole
town is surrounded by tailing dumps, and the toxic liquid from the
Akhtala mining and processing plant was flowing right into the river,
bypassing the tailing dumps. The forest of Teghout will have the same
fate", he said.
For her part, Head of EcoLur NGO Inga Zarafyan recalled that in 2010
the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee in Geneva arrived at a
decision that Armenia failed to implement its commitments as a party
to the Convention. The matter concerned the Teghout project, when
the public's right to participation in the decision-making process
was violated.
She added that the approval of the Teghout project violated 11 national
laws and 7 international conventions. "If we have normal laws, the
development of the Teghout deposit will be acknowledged illegal",
Zarafyan said.
She added that Vallex Group intends to file a lawsuit to the court
against environmentalist who on 15 January organized a get-to-know
demonstration on Teghout project risks on the spot of Teghout deposit.
The company's press release sent to EcoLur NGO said that 'illegal
actions (of environmentalists) resulted in disturbing the activities
of "Teghout" CJSC, the company incurred essential damage, which is
currently estimated by lawyers.'
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.