Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he ordered the Inspectorate for Nature Protection and Mineral Resources to begin investigations at Amulsar regarding the issues raised during the meeting between the Lebanese ELARD company and the Ministry of Environment. Pashinyan also asked the residents of Jermuk and nearby communities to open the roads leading to the mine at Amulsar.
Environmental lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan said, “I was present at the meeting Pashinyan held with residents of Jermuk where they told him that they will not surrender; they will continue to carry out their duties. This is written in the Constitution, by the way- every citizen must protect their environment. No one can prevent people from carrying out their constitutional responsibilities. If the police or other forces come out against the residents of Jermuk, that would be unconstitutional and, therefore, illegal.”
According to Vardanyan, the inspectorate visited the location last year and banned the company from carrying out its activities there. The company is arguing against this and a criminal case has been opened. This ban is currently in place. “No activities can be carried out in these conditions. Nikol Pashinyan is taking responsibility for everything his colleagues and the former authorities have done.”
Nelly Babayan
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