The Armenian Renaissance organization is closely following and taking part in the heated discussions on the Amulsar gold mine. It is clear that exploitation of the gold mine contains big environmental risks, and nobody can guarantee complete management of those risks. This is stated in the statement issued by the Armenian Renaissance organization of the Diaspora.

The statement also states the following:

“We also understand the arguments of the Prime Minister that are aimed at solving the issue for the benefit of the State and the population, and as such, they are rather weighty.

Nevertheless, based on the fact that this is a very big problem for the entire population of Armenia, and taking into consideration the potentially long-term consequences that both sides have presented, we recommend that the Government and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia do not make a decision on their own. We call on Prime Minister Pashinyan to present the issue of exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine for a nationwide referendum and make the final decision based on the people’s will.

We also call on the Prime Minister to reassess the environmental impact of metallic mines in Armenia and apply higher standards for them and close some of them due to the significant damage they have already caused.”