YEREVAN. – Armenian environmentalists plan to hold a march on October 10 to raise public awareness about situation in Teghut, members of the civic initiative told reporters.

The march will start in the Republic Square and will end near the residence of president.

Yeghia Nersisyan, member of the “Save Teghut Civic Initiative”, is confident that the mining problems cannot be solved in international arena, since the foreign investors “are plundering and going away.”

The environmentalists say the residents of villages located near Teghut have numerous problems. The villages are covered with dust from explosions, and farmers are unable to move freely. Besides, the cattle are driven away from pastures.  

One of the key problems is unemployment. The environmentalists noted the locals either have no job or get very low salaries, which they claim is done on purpose.

“Vallex [a company engaged in mining] is doing everything to make people leave Teghut,” said Nare Smbatyan, one of the members of the initiative.