YEREVAN. – There is a major environmental crisis in Armenia, environmentalist Karine Danielyan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to her, environmental issues are in the last place for everyone in the country.

“The problem of [Lake] Sevan is multifaceted, and solely the Ministry of Nature Protection cannot resolve everything,” she said. “It’s necessary to set up an interdepartmental commission for resolving strategic issues and taking operative measures.”

“Our country, in fact, is covered with waste, which has led to the accumulation of large amounts of heavy metals in the soil,” the expert stressed, “and this becomes the reason for the increase in oncological diseases [in Armenia].”

“Work needs to be done to raise the level of environmental culture [in the country],” Karine Danielyan concluded. “For that, it’s indispensable to adopt a concept and start the process of raising the level of [respective] education.”