VICTORY OVER ‘SEVAN APPETITES’ OF GEOPROMINING IS PUBLIC VICTORY: LOCAL ECOLOGICAL EXPERT

ArmInfo
2009-11-25 15:20:00

ArmInfo. Victory over "Sevan Appetites" of GeoProMining Company (GPM)
is the victory of the public, Ingan Zarafyan, EcoLur NGO, told ArmInfo.

Earlier in 2008 GeoProMining Company announced an intention to build
a gold-reprocessing enterprise in the area of Sevan basin despite the
ban on such activity in the area of Lake Sevan. Caring for its own
economic interests and permanently complaining that construction of
the reprocessing plant in Ararat and Gagarino is not profitable, the
company has been insisting on a project of moving the enterprise to the
area of Sotk gold deposit for over a year. As a result, a large-scale
campaign "SOS Sevan" has been launched. Organizations from the USA,
Great Britain, Mexico, Venezuella, Kirghizia, Bulgaria and Uruguay have
already joined the campaign "SOS Sevan". Ecologists have repeatedly
alarmed that the project does not reflect such hazards like 100 tons
of toxic waste, hundreds of hectares of dead areas, a cyanide tailing
with cyanide compounds, arsenic, antimony, pyrites and etc. These
toxic elements will penetrate into the ground waters that pour into the
water basin of Lake Sevan. The plant will comprise a gold-mining plant,
cyanides’ and pesticides’ stock, and a dump-tail of the cyanide wastes.

I. Zarafyan recalled the statements by Vladimir Movsisyan, Commission
on Lake Sevan, saying that construction of the re-processing plant
in the area of Sotk is a closed issue. "Such statement voiced during
the visit of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Gegharkunik region
in November was essential, since the Commission on Sevan had never
put the issue of Sotk on agenda before despite our demands and
statements," she said. "V. Movsisyan used to give the same answer:
"It is senseless speaking of the plant’s movement to Sotk because it
is banned by the law." Now, one can suppose from his words that GPM
had actually launched that process, which was stopped thanks to the
political will of the president," she said.

Inga Zarafyan highlighted that the public has declared its last word in
the case of "Sevan Appetities" of GeoProMining. "Public has strongly
opposed the project. Everyone, starting from public organizations
up to ecologists have actively fought that project so dangerous for
Sevan," she said.