I don’t know how the Amulsar issue will be resolved. I also don’t know how it should be resolved. Some experts say that the water in Kechut, Jermuk, and Sevan will be polluted if it’s used as a mine, and others say that the water will not be polluted. Some lawyers say that the state will have to pay massive fines for not using the mine, and others say that Lydian cannot demand such money from Armenia. Some economists say that getting rid of Lydian will deter foreign investors, while others say that it will have no impact on investments. I have difficulty believing that because business likes stability and situations free from political insecurity. A business owner will likely think, “If I invest while Pashinyan is in charge, and a new Prime Minister is elected in four years who says that everything the previous authorities did was illegal and wrong, then what will the fate of my money be?”
I do know that it’s impossible to make decisions that always appeal to the masses. And that is one of the negative aspects of democracy. If a referendum is held in Jermuk and Gndevaz tomorrow asking if the residents are for or against using Amulsar as a mine, I am convinced that at least 90 percent of the people will say they’re against it. Is the government supposed to make a decision based on that referendum? That is what the people want and authority belongs to the people after all.
But if the people are asked if they think that Major General Samvel “Oganovsky” Karapetyan, who brought a force of 300 people from Artsakh to Yerevan on March 1, 2008 to solve inner political issues, should be arrested, 90 percent would say “yes.” But if Oganovsky is arrested, then the person who gave him the order- current Chief Military Inspector Movses Hakobyan- needs to be arrested as well. And if Movses Hakobyan is arrested, then the person who gave him the order needs to be arrested as well. Which leads us to Bako Sahakyan. Of course, we can say that the court handles the issue of arresting people. And I will respond that the government handles the operation of a mine, and it needs to take into consideration all issues, including environmental, legal, economic, and political, and problems that do not matter to the masses.
Of course, I am worried that the water at Sevan will become polluted, that our state can lose a lot of money, and that foreign investors will be discouraged from making investments. But I am even more worried that our country will not be governed by Pashinyan, the government, or the National Assembly, but entirely by emotions and by crowds who lead by myths. The Prime Minister somewhat calmed my worries during his livestream about Amulsar. This makes me somewhat optimistic.
