Author: Karapet Navasardian

Everyone’s education level should be at least a little higher every next day, says Pashinyan

Karapet Navasardian

Everyone’s education level should be at least a little higher every next day, says Pashinyan

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 10:25,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. For Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan education is a continuous process.

During his talk with Edik Nazaryan, a 11th grader from Stepanavan, on the sidelines of the Education For All international network’s annual conference in Yerevan the Armenian PM said everyone’s education level should be at least a little higher every next day compared to the previous day.

“Many by saying education understand a period, which starts, let’s suppose, from the 1st grade or a pre-school and ends in the university. But for me education is a continuous process, and this is the reason that currently we are discussing a strategic vision in our country. We have a point there and hope to make it a reality for our country: we formulate it in the following way – to make education a national lifestyle in the Republic of Armenia. What do we mean by saying this? We mean that the person’s education should continue during his entire life. I have also proposed a slogan that the education, intellectual level of each of us should be at least a little higher every next day than the previous day”, Pashinyan said.

He added that by saying education he doesn’t mean only acquiring academic knowledge because everything is education. “Speaking is education, the way of talking, communication needs educational development. This relates to all, starting from craftsmen up to an artist, state official and so on”, the PM added.

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Controversy over dedication to Armenian American author in Tujunga echoes local debates

Karapet Navasardian
Los Angeles Times
Oct 17 2019
Controversy over dedication to Armenian American author in Tujunga echoes local debates

A dedication of a square in Tujunga to Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan is planned for this Saturday in front of a local historic landmark. Not all the local residents are thrilled with the initiative spearheaded by L.A. City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.
(File Photo)

By Lila Seidman
Oct. 17, 2019
           

An upcoming dedication of an intersection in Tujunga-Sunland to an Armenian American author has sparked controversy between local residents who have claimed the initiative will overshadow the corner’s existing historical significance and those who believe the opposition is grounded in ethnic discrimination.

On Oct. 9, one day after L.A. City Council voted to designate William Saroyan Square with a plaque at the crossing of Commerce Avenue and Valmont Street, the local neighborhood council shot back with an impact statement stating that the placement was inappropriate.

The designated area is adjacent to Bolton Hall, a historic stone building built in 1913 that was originally used as a community center for a local Utopian community. It has since been used as an American Legion hall, a public library, Tujunga City Hall and a jail, and is now a local history museum.

“It’s the location, that is what people are opposed to,” said Liliana Sanchez, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council.

“It’s the historical significance of that intersection. No signage should be placed there,” she added.

It also happens to be an intersection that has hosted several Armenian cultural events, according to L.A. City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who spearheaded the initiative.

A dedication ceremony for the square to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author is scheduled for Oct. 19, to coincide with the annual Sunland-Tujunga Armenian Cultural Festival, which is held along Commerce Avenue.

“It’s unfortunate that more people aren’t taking this opportunity to embrace the diversity of our community,” said Rodriguez, who represents the Tujunga area, along with neighborhoods including La Tuna Canyon, Sylmar, Pacoima and North Hills.

One longtime local resident, Robin Jodi, said she also opposed the dedication because Saroyan, who was born and died in Fresno, does not have a local connection to the area.

It was a sentiment echoed by others in their written public comments.

Bolton Hall was named after an Ireland-born author and activist who also had no connection to the immediate area, Rodriguez said.

“[Saroyan] is a true Californian, the son of immigrants and an inspiration to us all,” Vic Aghakhanian, another longtime resident, wrote in a public comment.

“I believe it is time for our community to embrace multiculturalism and appreciation of our diversity,” he added.

“It’s a welcoming community. It’s a diverse community,” Jodi said in a phone interview, “but [Saroyan] never visited here. He has nothing to do with here.”

A similar debate unfolded in Glendale last year, when the local City Council voted in June to change a two-block portion of Maryland Avenue in the city’s downtown area to Artsakh Street, after the Republic of Artsakh, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Some opponents of the name change said the republic had nothing to do with Glendale’s history. Several business owners argued that the renaming could hurt them economically.

Supporters, including then-Councilman Ara Najarian and current mayor, argued that it was long overdue for Glendale to have a street named to honor the city’s large Armenian American community.

In October of last year, a ceremony was held to unveil the new street sign.

However, the controversy hasn’t stopped: a cartoon published on Oct. 4 by the Glendale News-Press that juxtaposed the Artsakh Street sign with a character lamenting, “I miss the old Maryland Avenue,” drew backlash from some readers who viewed it as implicitly or explicitly xenophobic.

Others viewed the cartoon as nostalgic, hearkening back to a time when there were different businesses along the street. Reminiscence, not ethnic discrimination, was the intent, according to the cartoon’s creator Bert Ring.

Sanchez and Jodi both said they felt community input about the William Saroyan Square dedication was limited.

An Oct. 8 Facebook post by Sanchez on a community group stating that the motion had passed and the “public was not allowed to comment” drew more than 374 comments.

“We weren’t given a voice,” Sanchez said.

Members of the public were given the opportunity to submit written comments after the motion was introduced on Sept. 11, Rodriguez said. Residents were also allowed to speak when the item was considered during a public works meeting on Sept. 18.

It’s the same procedure Rodriguez said she has followed for the three other dedications she’s initiated within her district.

Sanchez said she took issue with the fact that additional oral comments were not permitted during the regular L.A. City Council meeting when the dedication was approved unanimously.

By the time the motion was voted on, about 240 public comments had been submitted — more than any other issue the council has worked on during Rodriguez’s two-year tenure, as far as she can remember. The majority were in support of the dedication, she said.

“Among all the issues that I’m working on, homelessness and everything else, [additional community meetings] would be excessive,” Rodriguez said.


Expert: Turkey’s actions in Syria pose threat to Armenians

Karapet Navasardian 
ARKA, Armenia
Oct 11 2019



Expert: Turkey's actions in Syria pose threat to Armenians


YEREVAN, October 11. /ARKA/. Sona Sukiasyan, an expert in Turkish
affairs from the Orbeli Analytical Center,  told a news conference
today that Turkey's s military operations in Syria have two main
objectives.

The first objective is to cleanse the borders of the country from
Kurdish elements, forcing the local Kurdish population away from
cities and villages, since Turkey regards them as terrorist groups.
The second objective is to resettle about 4 million Syrian Arabs who
sought refuge in Turkey, people who don't come from the region, in
these areas.

“Turkey seeks to create a security belt in northeast Syria and also to
change the demographic situation in this region, replacing the Kurds
with Syrian Arab refugees, who are more loyal to Turkey,” Sukiasyan
said on Tuesday.

She also said that Turkish army poses a danger not only to  the
Armenian, but also to  the entire Christian population of Syria.
According to her, there are now about three thousand Armenians living
in Syria, and that  steps should be taken to ensure their safety.

However, she added  that the actions in Syria are not directed
specifically against the Armenians living there. She said Armenia, as
a country of this region, should be actively involved in the processes
taking place in Syria and t needs to quickly respond to what is
happening in the region.

According to U.N., some s0,000 people in northern Syria have been
forced to flee because of Turkey's assault on Kurdish forces. Turkish
warplanes and artillery blasted targets across the Syrian border
Friday on the third day of the offensive. -0-

Armenian Families Evacuated as Turkey Continues to Pounce on Syrian Targets

Karapet Navasardian
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A map of the Turkish incursion in Syria and its imagined security zone

As Turkey continued its attack on cities in northeastern Syrian on Thursday, Armenians living in the Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ayn and Qamishli are caught in the crossfire, but are being evacuated.

Of the 16 Armenian families living in the Syrian city of Tel Abyad, 13 have voluntarily evacuated and are on their way to the Hasakah province and Aleppo, Armen Melkonyan, the Armenian foreign ministry’s director of the Middle East and Africa desk told Azatutyun.am.

Melkonyan pointed out that the most densely Armenian-populated city in northeastern Syria is Qamishli, which has a population of around 3,000 Armenians—approximately 400 to 420 families. He explained that Qamishli came under attack once on Wednesday and that because Syrian government forces are controlling the area, the need for evacuating the area has not arisen yet.

“Our embassy in Damascus is in constant contact with the [Qamishli] community leaders and they, at this juncture, do not want to evacuate because there is no imminent danger yet,” explained Melkonyan.

There are reports that Armenian families in Ras al-Ayn have also begun evacuation procedures

“We are following the developments. We are working with the Armenian prelacies both in Damascus and Aleppo to provide our compatriots, who want to move from Syria’s north, with temporary shelters and give them necessary aid,” said the Armenian Embassy in Damascus in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“Dozens of Armenian families have already left their home from the city of Tell Abyad which is under direct attack and moved to safer ground, such as Aleppo and Hasakah. As of this moment there is no task to immediately evacuate our compatriots,” added the Armenian Embassy in Damascus.

Asbarez: Western Prelacy Hosts Sunday School Teachers Seminar

Karapet Navasardian
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Last month, under the auspices of Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, a Sunday school teacher’s seminar took place at the Western Prelacy, where clergy and more than 25 directors and teachers from various Prelacy church Sunday schools were in attendance.

A vesper service was conducted at the Prelacy’s “Sts. Drtad and Ashkhen” chapel, and the hymn “Vork Zartaretsin” was sung in commemoration of the Holy Translators. Afterward, those in attendance were invited to the “Dikran and Zarouhi Der Ghazarian” hall, where the seminar began with the singing of the Sunday school anthem.

Hagop Tchaghatsbanian, co-chair of the event, gave a short spiritual reflection by referencing Matthew 10:42: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose his reward.” Event co-chair, Raffi Torossian’s remarks followed. These reflections were followed by presentations by Sunday school directors, in regard to their schools yearly goals.

The seminar continued with the first speaker, Very Rev. Muron Aznikian, who reflected on the theme of the seminar – “Jesus the good Shepherd.” He touched on the various obstacles that today’s youth face, including reasons for having strayed away from their faith. Rev. Aznikian emphasized that a religious education and the Bible are foundations of morality, and cited the Book of Proverbs: “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.” (Prov. 12:6)

After the lunch break, the second guest speaker, Rev. Karekin Bedourian reflected on the Holy Translators and their roles in building the Armenian identity. He focused on the necessity of keeping the Armenian language strong within the youth.

Following Fr. Bedourian’s remarks, a short video clip depicting Jesus as the good Shepard was presented to those in attendance. The video presentation was followed by a workshop.

Closing remarks were provided by Prelate Mardirossian, who congratulated the Sunday school teachers and directors for their continued efforts. Emphasizing on the tribulations which we all face, he invited all to renew their faith, dedication, and service.

Prelate Mardirossian also spoke about the traditions which we inherited from the Holy Translators and invited all to not only be proud of the achievements of the Translators, but to also exemplify them in our daily lives.

The seminar concluded by the benediction of the Prelate and singing of “Cilicia.” Each Sunday school director received a gift for their schools, and the attendees received a plaque with the Lord’s Prayer as well as prayer cards.

Sports: Armenian athletes set off for World Boxing Championships

Karapet Navasardian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 2 2019
Sport 15:26 02/10/2019 Armenia

Armenia will have three representatives at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships to be held in Ulan-Ude, Russia, the National Olympic Committee's press service reports.

The following athletes led by coach Vahan Adilkhanyan have left for the tournament: Anush Grigoryan (51 kg), Anahit Haroyan (54 kg) and Ani Hovsepyan (69 kg).

The tournament will be held from 3 to 13 October.

Pashinyan’s double-standard is a dangerous turn in Armenia’s ongoing headache

Karapet Navasardian
The Blunt Post
Oct 1 2019

By Vic Gerami

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the USA

I recently saw a post on the Facebook page of an Armenian woman with whom I am apparently ‘friends’ with, praising Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s modesty and friendliness. It was a photo of Pashinyan taking a selfie with young Armenians during his recent visit to San Francisco.

The first thing that came to mind as I saw the photo and the woman’s comment was how misleading it was. Let’s keep it real. Pashinyan was in America for the same reason Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora visits the USA-to lobby for money, political clout and to galvanize the Armenian-American community on his side. I don’t necessarily find fault for this; however, would Pashinyan be as ‘modest’ and ‘friendly’ if a group of queer Armenians from GALAS (Gay & Lesbian Armenian Society) wanted a selfie with him. Better yet, what if members of PINK or Right Side NGO in Armenia asked him for a photo?

Pashinyan and Putin

So, I wrote a comment under the posted photo that read, “I wish PM Pashinyan would extend his friendliness to queer Armenians too.” Lacking originality and not surprisingly, I received a DM from this person telling me something that queer Armenians have heard for years “I am supporting LGBT rights, in Armenia and in the world. But we need to be realistic. Our culture and old mentality… Give time to the new prime minister. You think he can survive if he says it openly? Look at the crazy people in the U.S. We have a long way to go.”

Let me break this down for her and for many Armenians in Armenia, USA and elsewhere in diaspora. If you don’t remember anything from this article, remember this: The LGBTQ Rights movement is about one thing and one thing only-THE RIGHT TO BE AVERAGE-period. We don’t want special rights, better rights, more rights or anything else. BUT we want the same rights as our cisgender, heterosexual counterparts.

1 of 9 victims of a mob gay-bashing in 2018

To her comment about being realistic: I AM realistic. No one I know is asking Pashinyan to go to a gay bar like the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, or light the Armenian Parliament with rainbow colors like President Barack Obama or preside over EuroPride like the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen.

But we expect his administration to enforce the law against perpetrators of anti-LGBTQ hate-crimes as they would for any other type of crime. 9 queer Armenians were dragged out of a house by 30 townspeople in 2018, including the former Mayor, beaten, two hospitalized, but there was never an official investigation or an arrest. Earlier this year, a gay man was ambushed, jumped and gay-bashed, but the authorities taunted him and said that ‘his kind’ was not welcomed in Armenia.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia

Yes, my FB friend, I, along with many other queer Armenians are very realistic, perhaps too realistic. Sadly, our expectations are very low. To make things worse, Pashinyan stood in front of Parliament and called LGBTQ Armenians ‘headaches.’ Criminals who get away with hate crimes, whether against LGBTQ or women are emboldened when the authorities are complicit. They are further encouraged when their PM calls the victims ‘headaches.’ Shall we discuss the case where a trans woman’s throat was slit and she was set on fire in her own apartment by a man who had sex with her but was later afraid that someone would find out?

A gay-bashing victim whose 3 perpetrators were never arrested, nor was there an investigation

Enforcing the law of the land is not a queer issue and not a favor to LGBTQ Armenians, rather a legal responsibility of the leader of the nation. To the point about time, why has Armenia barely started to address domestic abuse just now? How many women for decades were told to ‘give it more time’? Who bares the burden of all the women who were beaten, hospitalized and in some cases murdered by their husbands, boyfriends or male companions? Time? LGBTQ Armenians have been waiting VERY long and very patiently. We, too, have only one life to live and we want to live freely, openly and with the same freedoms afforded to you and all our heterosexual cisgender compatriots. As queer Armenians are asked to give it time, Armenia is running out of time to abandon some of its so-called ‘traditional values’ that are no longer working for it and its people.

Pashinyan addressing the Armenian Parliament

Armenia’s corrupt hierarchy which includes the oligarchs, their cronies, the religious establishments, most politicians and their affiliates, have been using a dozen or more phrases as weapons in their campaign to keep people oppressed, misinformed and docile. They include ‘traditional values’, ‘propaganda’, ‘Western values’, ‘George Soros influenced’, and several more. The masses suffer from poverty while these people, including the higher-up members of clergy live in gaudy McMansions lavished with marble, steal from donations sent to Armenia from diaspora non-profits.

They preach about traditional values so they can continue their choke-hold on Pashinyan and corrupt politicians, promoting institutionalized homophobia, transphobia, wife-beating, corruption, mafia-style oligarchy, while Etchmiadzin benefits from it all. Where is the Church’s outrage over the alarming domestic abuse rates in Hayastan? Clergies’ deafening silence speaks for itself.

Gagik Tsarukyan, one of the richest oligarchs in Armenia and the head of the Prosperous Armenia Party, meeting with Pashinyan.

I was recently attached on Facebook by a homophobic young Armenian guy for posting an article I had written about a recent gay bashing in Armenia. He said, ‘how are we supposed to accept gay people in Armenia when the birth rate is so low?’ So, I replied, ‘Has it occurred to your that a lot of people are leaving Armenia due to lack of human rights? Has it occurred to you that hopelessness for a better future for those not in the top %1 is causing people to not have children? How is that helping Armenia’s population problem?’ Not having a rebuttal, he changed the subject in his reply and wrote, ‘so is it OK if a gay person hits on a straight guy? And if I say something, or hit him, I’ll be called a homophobe.’ So, I asked him, “When was the last time you hit on a girl? Did you know for certain that your advances were welcome prior to your action? In fact, were you sure that she was heterosexual and not a lesbian?”

If a guy can freely hit on any girl, disregard her wishes and sexual orientation, then he cannot get mad because a guy gives him a compliment. The same rules should apply to everyone-period. To the homophobic guy on Facebook and the woman who DM-ed me, LGBTQ people want the right to be average. What Pashinyan does for heterosexual cisgender Armenians, he should do for the LGBTQ. When a gay person is murdered, then investigate it, don’t sweep it under the rug, don’t turn a blind eye, and don’t call him a “headache.” That guy has a family too, he was born to an Armenian mother, and the blood flowing through his veins is not thinner than yours and certainly not less Armenian.

Հայկ Հարությունյանի մահվան դեպքով հարցաքննվել են «Hayeli.am»-ի և «Armlur.am»-ի խմբագիրները

Karapet Navasardian
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Հայկ Հարությունյանի մահվան դեպքի առթիվ հարուցված քրեական գործով այսօր վկայի կարգավիճակով հարցաքննվել են «Hayeli.am» և «Armlur.am» կայքերի խմբագիրները:


Նրանք հրաժարվել են հարցաքննության ընթացքը տեսանկարահանելու վերաբերյալ նախաքննական մարմնի առաջարկից և մեջբերելով «Զանգվածային լրատվության մասին» ՀՀ օրենքի 5-րդ հոդվածը՝ չեն բացահայտել տեղեկատվության աղբյուրը:


Ինչպես հայտնում են ՔԿ-ի մամուլի ծառայությունից, քննիչի հարցին, որ դեպքին ականատես վկան, ծանոթանալով հրապարակումներին, ժխտել է հրապարակումներում ներկայացված հանգամանքները, լրատվամիջոցների ներկայացուցիչները հակասական տեղեկատվության վերաբերյալ դիրքորոշում չեն հայտնել և պարզաբանել են, որ իրենք ընդամենը հրապարակել են իրենց աղբյուրների հայտնած տեղեկատվությունը՝ կրկին հրաժարվելով բացահայտել աղբյուրը:


«Հայտնում ենք, որ Հայկ Հարությունյանի մահվան դեպքին ականատես վկան իր լրացուցիչ ցուցմունքում հայտնել է, որ ԶԼՄ-ներին դեպքի վերաբերյալ որևէ տեղեկատվություն չի հայտնել: Ավելին՝ նա վրդովմունք է հայտնել՝ ԶԼՄ-ներում տեղ գտած ապատեղեկատվության վերաբերյալ», – ասված է հայտարարության մեջ:

Three Armenian companies pledge to invest 2 billion drams in output expansion

Karapet Navasardian
ARKA, Armenia
Sept 12 2019

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. The Armenian government decided today to provide tax and customs benefits to three companies, which are to import equipment and raw materials.

Deputy Minister of Economy Artak Kamalyan said private entrepreneur Irina Kochoyan intends to invest 80 million drams in the purchase of equipment and 150 million drams in the purchase of raw materials. The raw materials are to be used for sewing clothes in the town of Hrazdan, where 15-20 new jobs will be created.

The company is to produce 600 million drams worth clothes and some 450 million drams worth clothes are to be sold in Armenia, and the rest in Russia and other countries, which are members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

The second company, ANIPLAST LLC, is exempted from paying customs duties, since it pledged to invest 1.4 billion drams in the production of film for packaging food products and create  20 new jobs.

The third company, which received customs privileges for the import of equipment and raw materials is Ariko-Gor CJSC. It intends to invest 457 million drams in the production of notebooks and albums for drawing in the town of Abovyan and create 6-9 new jobs.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan added that the companies will make about 2 billion drams worth investments.

“In this context, I would also like to note that we have now 604,000 officially registered employees in the country. Some people argued that the growth should be credited to the government's effort to bring employees to the net, but the growth made already 64 thousand people and it’s impossible to determine how many people came out of the shadow and  how many of them are newly registered workers,” Pashinyan said. ($1 – 476.34 drams). –0–

Lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan commenting on prime minister’s statement on Amulsar

Karapet Navasardian
ARKA, Armenia
Sept 10 2019

YEREVAN, September 10. /ARKA/. Armenia's law gives a clear specification of commissioning of ore fields and gives all grounds for preventive measures, Nazeli Vardanyan, a lawyer, told Azatutyun TV commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that there are no reasons or legal grounds for terminating the development of Amulsar gold field.

The premier also stressed that monitoring will be conducted here regularly to prevent any violation of norms. If something wrong is found in the company's activity, a warning will be issues with the demand to put things right. If the company doesn't comply with the demand, then it will be possible to strip it of its license.   

"According to the present law, if the planned activity is not carried out within one year after receiving the expert conclusion, then the environmental conclusion loses its validity, and more than that – the document loses its validity if new circumstances of impact on environment appear," Nazeli Vardanyan said in her televised interview.

In her words, the expert opinion to which Lydian Armenia refers has lost its validity yet on April 30,2017, and the expert examination conducted by компании Earth Lnk & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD) Company called it into question once again.

"The law specifies that the concept "new circumstances" implies not only natural disasters, but also the facts found out by experts, and it is natural that appearance of this information prompts a new expert examination and conclusion," Vardanyan said.   

She finds it wrong to make a final decision on the gold field development without a new environmental examination, since it would be made in a clear breach of the law.

The lawyer also pointed out that the Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the fact of suppressing the truth exactly because of new circumstances, particularly because of a mistake found out in the protective clay layer that covers the accumulation of cyanide.  

"Lydian Armenia has already showed that it is not a reliable entrepreneur and that it deceived the Armenian government for more than one decade by providing false data about safety of its activity. There are many facts of irregularities that have been noticed even by ELARD, and its representatives pointed out them at a skype conference," she said.

Nazeli Vardanyan found Jermuk residents' protests justified. She said they has a right to protect their environment.  

In her opinion, arguments presented to the prime minister against the development of Amulsar gold field have been not so clear and comprehensive.  

"The premier's statement was surprising to us despite all the arguments presented by environmentalists and lawyers," Vardanyan said. "We though that the government would admit at least some of them and the decision would be reasonable, but the statement put experts and the country's population, as a whole, into a tight corner."

Vardanyan stressed that by its decision, the government assumes the whole responsibility for the development of the gold field and for Jermuk residents' safety.

"The company is responsible only before the examination, but in the event of positive conclusion, the whole responsibility is borne by the government," she said in her televised interview.

In February 2019 the Armenian government decided to allocate USD 396,900 from its reserve fund to Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD) for carrying out a comprehensive expert examination of the Amulsar project. The mine's operation was ceased.

Lydian is a gold developer focused on construction at its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. However, illegal blockades have prevented access to Amulsar since late June 2018. Amulsar is expected to be a large-scale, low-cost operation with production targeted to average approximately 225,000 ounces annually over an initial 10-year mine life.

Estimated mineral resources contain 3.5 million measured and indicated gold ounces and 1.3 million inferred gold ounces as outlined in the Q1 2017 Technical Report. Existing mineral resources beyond current reserves and open extensions provide opportunities to improve average annual production and extend the mine life. Lydian is committed to good international industry practices in all aspects of its operations including production, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. -0—-