FIRST LADY OF ARMENIA DISOBEYS HER HUSBAND’S WISHES

ArmInfo
2009-06-03 12:27:00

ArmInfo. The First Lady of Armenia Rita Sargsyan has signed a
letter against development of Teghut copper-molybdenum deposit,
Head of ‘Ekodar’ public organization Hrayr Ayvazyan said at today’s
press-conference in "Urbat" club.

To recall, signatures collection against development of Teghut
copper-molybdenum deposit started in May, 2009. According to the
letter, the deposit development project violates the Constitution
and legislation of Armenia, as well as the international legal
regulations. Moreover, exploitation of the deposit spells destruction
of large forest areas, that will negatively affect the ecosystem of
the whole Lori region. As for the residents of the nearby villages,
they will be deprived of the opportunity to carry out an agricultural
activity and will be provided with a temporary job only. Moreover,
contamination of the environment with heavy metals and other repugnant
substances will negatively affect the people’s health and will cause
sharp growth of cancerous diseases, sterility, as well as birth of
children with mental and physical deviations. ‘We understand the
importance of the country’s economic development and creation of new
jobs, however, we demand from our authorities to implement such a
policy of the country development that will take into account the
health and welfare of the future generations, as well as the harm
which might affect the nature of our country’, the letter says. The
letter will be forwarded to Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisyan and parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamyan.

As H. Ayvazyan said, about 5,000 people have already signed the letter.

Yesterday, the First Lady of Armenia Rita Sargsyan, as well as the
wife of ex-President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, Bella Kocharyan
also affixed their signatures in the letter. ‘It turns out that
Rita Sargsyan opposed the decision of her husband’, H. Ayvazyan said
and recalled that ACP Company received the governmental ‘approval’
for development of the deposit in 2007 when S. Sargsyan was prime
minister of Armenia.