Even today’s heavy rain couldn’t prevent members of the Teghut Protection Civic Initiative and other environmentalists from appearing outside the main entrance of Matenadaran with posters reading “Environmentalist Charles, Join Armenia’s Environmentalists,” “British Mining Industry Will Kill Us,” “No British Cyanide in Armenia,” etc. They waited for Charles, the Prince of Wales, since 4:30 p.m. to hand a letter to him. Lilit Kalantaryan, the communications manager at the British Embassy in Armenia, would approach the environmentalists from time to time and urge to walk down toward the steps. The environmentalists, taking no heed of the embassy official’s suggestion, continued to stand where they were. Shortly afterwards, protesters were approached by Tony Halpin, the Yerevan, My Love project press secretary.
He also asked protesters to come down from a high place. The environmentalists declined his request too. Tony Halpin assured journalists that Prince Charles had nothing to do with the exploitation of the Amulsar Gold Mine. “What people gathered here say has nothing to do with the reality. Their gathering here is a sign of democracy. I asked them to come down from there, but they wouldn’t listen to me. However, I repeat once again that the prince has nothing to do with the exploitation of the Amulsar Gold Mine.”
Mr. Halpin didn’t wish to talk about the prince’s intentions, stating that the prince was in Armenia on a private visit. Then Jonathan Aves, the UK Ambassador to Armenia, came up to protesters. He took the letter from the environmentalists and promised to pass it to the prince’s office. He informed the environmentalists that the prince’s personal assistant would surely meet with them. In the ambassador’s words, former Prime Minister Armen Sargsyan also expressed willingness to meet with environmentalists. After the ambassador had left, the environmentalists and journalists gathered outside the main entrance of Matenadaran started to think that the prince might be in Matenadaran already. People supposed that the prince had entered Matenadaran through the back door, not meeting the expectations of the environmentalists and journalists. At 7 p.m., one of the officials of the British Embassy in Armenia told the reporter of Radio Liberty that the prince had really entered Matenadaran through the back door.
Ashot ATAYAN
