YEREVAN. – Rafik Atayan, prefect of Kajaran village of Armenia’s Syunik Region, resigned from his post and also from his membership to the ruling coalition’s Republican Party of Armenia, Atayan himself told Thursday to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

And in response to the question as to the reason for his resignation, Atayan said: “They summoned for me, [and] presented a contract for me to sign. This concerns the Government’s decision which I am against. And they summoned for me yesterday [Wednesday], to sign the contract, and I resigned as a result of pressure.”   

The prefect also noted that he resigned on his own volition.

To note, the Kajaran villagers say their prefect is being forced to sign under an agreement whereby the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Plant will be given the village’s lands which, by the Government’s decision, were declared eminent domain. The village residents demand that the aforesaid decision be declared null and void, and they refuse to sign the document on relinquishing the lands, declaring this means a forced evacuation of the entire village. The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Plant’s proprietor, the German Croniment Mining Company is ready to discuss the villagers’ complaints and recommendations, but it refuses to back away from its plan to expand the mine.