YEREVAN.- Only 10% of Armenia’s environmentalists are competent experts, President of Vallex Group Valeriy Mezhlumyan told the journalists on Friday.

Commenting on environmentalists’ protests against development of Teghut mine, he said constructive criticism of company’s projects is welcomed.

Teghut’s deposit contains Armenia’s second largest copper reserve (1.5 million tons). It also contains around 100 thousand tons molybdenum. Mining works are planned to be started in the area in the end of the 1st quarter of 2012.

The government said a 400-hectare forest will be planted near Teghut’s copper-molybdenum deposit to replace the 180 hectare wood which is going to be cut in order to carry out open-pit mining operations in the area.