Amulsar Without Mine Movement Has Nationwide Significance: Protests Held in Gyumri in Support of Amulsar

On August 25 in Gyumri, a protest was held against the exploitation of Amulsar. One of the organizers, Mariam Papazyan, stated that they are expressing support for activists fighting for Amulsar.

“We are against the exploitation of the mine because it will pollute the water, as gold will be processed using cyanide, and that cyanide will end up in the water. It doesn't matter that we are from Gyumri; we should not drink that water. It will affect us as well, as the produce from Vayots Dzor will reach Gyumri, and the mine is also near Jermuk, meaning that people in the health resort will be breathing that air,” she said.

Another participant, Karen Avagyan, noted that the Amulsar without mine movement has a nationwide significance, and he is still unclear about the purpose of the Prime Minister's visit to Jermuk: “If he needed to get first-hand information, he could have simply visited without the media, and seen everything on-site. I view the media coverage as another attempt to influence public opinion.”

Previously, we reported that the Investigative Committee published the results of a comprehensive examination related to the mining of gold-bearing quartzite in Amulsar, which was entrusted to a group of experts from Advanced Resources Development (ELARD). According to the results of that examination, 16 points were mentioned during the conclusion, which, if maintained, would render environmental risks manageable.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan invited Jermuk residents for a meeting at Baghramyan 26, and participants expressed dissatisfaction with the results. Simultaneously, a protest against the exploitation of the Amulsar mine took place in front of Baghramyan 26.

It should be noted that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Jermuk to meet with local residents and also visited neighboring villages. The majority of the population expressed opposition to mining activities. The Prime Minister announced that he instructed to send the findings of ELARD to the Ministry of the Environment for further study to determine whether there is a need to conduct a new Environmental Impact Assessment.

Additionally, today Gyumri is celebrating the city's day, with Nikol Pashinyan attending the celebrations with his family, along with senior officials from the National Assembly and the government.