I have my viewpoint, and this issue is constantly considered by the members of the faction and government officials. This is what Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said today as he touched upon the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine.

“People have their opinions on the matter. The Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Environment if the expert examination conducted by ELARD or any other fact serves as a ground to come to the conclusion on the need for a new Environmental Impact Assessment. It’s great that there is public discourse,” he said.

When asked if he has any concerns, Mirzoyan said the following: “How can any citizen of the Republic of Armenia be indifferent towards an issue like this one? We all love our country, and there had to be concerns about the exploitation of any mine. We have to see whether the risks are manageable or not and if there is a need for a new Environmental Impact Assessment or not.”

When asked if exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine won’t lower the government’s rating, the parliamentary speaker said he agrees with the claim that exploitation may lower the government’s rating to a certain extent, but believes most of the people fighting against exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine are not people who voted for the My Step Alliance during the parliamentary elections.

He added that even though he hasn’t read any document on the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine, he trusts the Investigative Committee.