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VALLEX GROUP AND OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE KEEP ON EXCHANGING ARGUMENTS
ARMINFO
Tuesday, March 19, 18:41
Armenian Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan's report on the Nature
Protection Ministry's activity for 2012 said that the problem of
licensing Teghout CJSC, which develops the copper-molybdenum deposit
in Teghout, is not resolved.
Vallex Group (which also includes Teghout CJSC) told ArmInfo that the
provisions on development of the Teghout copper-molybdenum deposit,
reflected in the Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office's report on
the Armenian Nature Protection Ministry's activity in 2012 cannot be
considered true. The company said that in 2012 the Nature Protection
Ministry could not provide Teghout CJSC with the relevant license, as
since 2008 this issue has been under jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Energy and Natural Resources, and the Human Rights Defender's Office
should have been aware of that. "We reiterate that Teghout is and
was carrying out its activity in any sphere only after getting the
relevant legal platform", Vallex Group said.
The company welcomes the style of work of the Ombudsman's Office,
which takes into account the views of the civil society when conducting
surveys. Nevertheless, in order to present the real picture, it should
have made some rational analysis and conducted additional surveys,
the lack of which led to emergence of the annual report's provisions
that have nothing to do with the reality. The company considers that
the Ombudsman's Office should present the information to the public
and state structures in compliance with the law, and the information
should be competently formulated and edited.
In response to Vallex Group's comments, Anna Safaryan, Ombudsman's
Advisor for Environmental protection, said on March 18 that the
specified provision of the report is justified by the fact that in
2006 Teghout CJSC was licensed with violation of standards and now
the company carries out activities on a project that failed to undergo
expert examination, and the environmentalists have repeatedly stated
it and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee confirmed it.
Safaryan added that the Committee has fixed that the license for
development of Teghout deposit was provided with violation of the
Convention.
Safaryan said that the Committee for the Protection of Teghout told
the Ombudsman that now the deposit is being developed under the new
project worked out in 2010, which has not undergone any examination.
In this connection, the Nature Protection Ministry must conduct the
relevant inspections, but no response has been received from the
Ministry so far.
Vallex Group has responded to this statements as well. The company
says that Safaryan's statements have nothing to do with the reality.
"In 2006 no license or permit was provided to Teghout CJSC at all", the
company says. As regards the development of the deposit under the new
project worked out in 2010, Vallex Group says that "as early as on 19
Dec 2012 the company disseminated full clarification via the media and
posted it on its official website (http://teghout.am/am/news/51.htm),
so, further speculation on this topic seems strange at least".
ARMINFO
Tuesday, March 19, 18:41
Armenian Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan's report on the Nature
Protection Ministry's activity for 2012 said that the problem of
licensing Teghout CJSC, which develops the copper-molybdenum deposit
in Teghout, is not resolved.
Vallex Group (which also includes Teghout CJSC) told ArmInfo that the
provisions on development of the Teghout copper-molybdenum deposit,
reflected in the Armenian Human Rights Defender's Office's report on
the Armenian Nature Protection Ministry's activity in 2012 cannot be
considered true. The company said that in 2012 the Nature Protection
Ministry could not provide Teghout CJSC with the relevant license, as
since 2008 this issue has been under jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Energy and Natural Resources, and the Human Rights Defender's Office
should have been aware of that. "We reiterate that Teghout is and
was carrying out its activity in any sphere only after getting the
relevant legal platform", Vallex Group said.
The company welcomes the style of work of the Ombudsman's Office,
which takes into account the views of the civil society when conducting
surveys. Nevertheless, in order to present the real picture, it should
have made some rational analysis and conducted additional surveys,
the lack of which led to emergence of the annual report's provisions
that have nothing to do with the reality. The company considers that
the Ombudsman's Office should present the information to the public
and state structures in compliance with the law, and the information
should be competently formulated and edited.
In response to Vallex Group's comments, Anna Safaryan, Ombudsman's
Advisor for Environmental protection, said on March 18 that the
specified provision of the report is justified by the fact that in
2006 Teghout CJSC was licensed with violation of standards and now
the company carries out activities on a project that failed to undergo
expert examination, and the environmentalists have repeatedly stated
it and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee confirmed it.
Safaryan added that the Committee has fixed that the license for
development of Teghout deposit was provided with violation of the
Convention.
Safaryan said that the Committee for the Protection of Teghout told
the Ombudsman that now the deposit is being developed under the new
project worked out in 2010, which has not undergone any examination.
In this connection, the Nature Protection Ministry must conduct the
relevant inspections, but no response has been received from the
Ministry so far.
Vallex Group has responded to this statements as well. The company
says that Safaryan's statements have nothing to do with the reality.
"In 2006 no license or permit was provided to Teghout CJSC at all", the
company says. As regards the development of the deposit under the new
project worked out in 2010, Vallex Group says that "as early as on 19
Dec 2012 the company disseminated full clarification via the media and
posted it on its official website (http://teghout.am/am/news/51.htm),
so, further speculation on this topic seems strange at least".