STEPS TAKEN IN DIRECTION OF RATIFICATION OF TRANSACTIONS OF UN EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION ON "HEAVY METALS" IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 15, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Assistance for Ratification of
transactions of UN European Economic Commission on "Heavy Metals""
three-day workshop, which was attended by representatives of over ten
countries, launched its proceedings in Yerevan on May 14. Within the
frameworks of the UN corresponding convention eight transactions have
been adopted for 29 years, which regulate the exhaustion of almost
all the most important harmful materials into atmosphere.

Armenia ratified the convention in 1997. However, as Angella Turlikian,
the chief specialist of the Protection Department of the RA MInistry
of Environmental Protection, mentioned, none of those transactions
has been ratified up to now. The reason, according to her, is that the
implementation of the strict demands defined by those transactions are
not available for Armenia as yet. Among them are, in particular, the
detailed making inventory of exhaustions and the continuous running of
land-survey and the investment of "best available technologies." In
the words of A. Turlikian, the making inventory conducted in the
republic and the running of land-survey do not correspond to the
demands of the transactions as yet.

According to her, the objective of the workshop is to contribute
to the abolishion of obstacles for the ratification of one of those
transactions: the transactions on "Heavy metals." This transactions
regulates the exhaustions of mercury, lead and cadmium. A. Turlikian
mentioned that the issue is very up-to-date for Armenia, as there
are sources of exhaustions of heavy metals. They are, in particular,
the factories of non-ferrous metals and cement.

The given transactions has been ratified by 29 out of 51 countries,
which have voted for the convention. At present, steps are taken
in Armenia in the direction of its ratification and the settlement
of the problems connected with the implementation of the obligations
prodeeding from them. It was also mentioned that a cartography program
of the sources and quantities of exhaustions has been carried out
in the republic. In addition to this, the monitoring station of
transborder pollution will be put into operation in a month. The
government of Norway has sponsored the creation of this station
in Armenia.