INSTITUTE OF HYDRO-ECOLOGY AND ICHTHYOLOGY OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF ARMENIA REFUTES INFORMATION THAT IT HAS APPROVED GEOPROMINING’S PROJECT TO BUILD A GOLD MINING FACTORY NEAR SEVAN
ArmInfo
2009-04-15 23:15:00
ArmInfo. The Institute of Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology of the National
Academy of Sciences of Armenia has refuted the information that it
has approved GeoProMining’s project to build a gold mining factory
near Lake Sevan.
During "SOS Sevan" public hearings today the director of the institute
Rafael Hovhannissyan said that they had not approved the project. "I
admit that we have been provided with financing for studying this
project. We simply had to as our institute has dealt with the problem
of Lake Seven for as many as 80 years. However, the studies lasted
for just a couple of months. This is not enough for drawing any
conclusions. We could not approve this project especially considering
Armenia’s international obligations," the secretary of the institute
Evelina Ghoukassyan said.
Meanwhile, GeoProMining’s document concerning ecological risks of
the construction of gold mining factory near Lake Sevan says that the
Institute of Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology along with the Institute of
Geological Sciences and the Institute of Ecological-Noosphere Studies
have informed them about the natural and techogenic risks this project
and that the document has been coordinated with the above institutes,
the Minister of Nature Protection, the Ministry of Energy and Natural
resources and the National Real Estate Committee.