Opposition MPs, Environmentalists Ask Government to Put an End to Mining in Armenia

At the National Citizens’ Initiative office today, Heritage Party members and representatives of several organizations working in the environmental and human rights sectors signed a document protesting an Apr. 28, 2011 government decision, which will then be sent to the Armenian government.

Recall, in April, the government decided to declare large swaths of communal land within the administrative borders of the villages of Qajaran, Artsvanik, Sevaqar, Atchanan, Chapni and Syunik in the southeastern province of Syunik as “public priority interest” land. Consequently, the land will be handed over to Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (the majority stakeholder of which is German metals group Cronimet).

Signatories are particularly asking for an end to mining “robbery” in Armenia.

During the discussion preceding the signing of the statement, Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan said the surveying of villagers by the activists and environmentalists who recently visited Qajaran showed the villagers’ discontent.

The villagers said they are going to lose the lands from which they receive a certain amount of income (through cultivated crops) — for which they will receive negligible amounts of money, if a compensation is even provided.

However, according to Postanjyan, the main problem isn’t even monetary compensation, but the desire not to leave one’s own village. Recall, environmentalists say that mine exploitation will make the village inhabitable, thereby displacing residents.

“The entire policy during these last few days was aimed at this, to show that they don’t want to give the villagers adequate monetary compensation, that’s why they’re dissatisfied. I can say that no, it’s not like that. They want to stay and live in their homes. The villagers know very well that it’s not an issue of their property, but an issue of the community existing or not existing,” said the opposition MP.

UNESCO ICOMOS member Gagik Sukhudyan, another one of the speakers at today’s round table, said this is the first case where joined together with environmental concerns was the question of national demography.

Sukhudyan urged the public to be rational, proposing to unite and consolidate forces against the catastrophe.