YEREVAN. – Yesterday, our inquiry committee met with Nazeli Vardanyan, who is part of the working group set up—by the prime minister’s decision—to check compliance with international standards in the mining industry, and who provided the committee with quite remarkable facts. Naira Zohrabyan, a member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction in parliament, wrote this on Facebook.

"And so: 11 laws and 9 international agreements were violated by giving Lydian Armenia the permit to operate Amulsar [gold mine],” she added, and then spoke about the violations of the Code on Mineral Resources.

“Yeah, let me not forget about the more than 80 Bronze Age tombs in the area taken by Lydian, whose fate I will discuss separately.

In 2017, according to government decision 427A, Lydian Armenia was granted customs and tax breaks to import what, do you think? Let me say: 2,600 Italian doors, 12,500 chandeliers, 590 toilet seats.

Let me also remind that any explosion is forbidden in Jermuk. And explosions are not made in Jermuk, even for the construction of a new building, in order not to damage the mineral water flows. And the explosions when operating Amulsar will be just devastating for Jermuk.

Jermuk will not become Chernobyl."