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Ecological Disaster Threatens Armenia’s Motkor Forest: Is the Former Environmental Minister Involved?

Larisa Paremuzyan
Kristine Aghalaryan 

Mine casts dark clouds over Motkor

A pristine corner of Armenia, 16,000 hectares of forest in the north-central section of Armenia, may be the next victim of commercial mining spearheaded by government officials.

An outfit called Victoria Silver Ltd. has been conducting geological surveys at the site since 2014. The area, in the Marts-Prvashen-Boudaghidzor triangle, is a gold and metals site slated for development.

If the survey results are promising, the mine will start operating, and the entire region near the town of Toumanyan in Lori Province will be affected.

On October 24, 2014, Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection granted Victoria Silver a green light to proceed after concluding that the company’s activities would not negatively impact the local environment. Residents of Lorout and Marts, two communities in the impact area, were never consulted.

In the company’s environmental impact assessment, which the ministry approved, it states that public hearing were held on July17 in Lorout and Marts and on October 3 at the Lori Governor’s  Office and that mining company’s plans were welcomed.

“No, no. There weren’t any public hearings. No one from Victoria Silver came to the village. Public hearings were held twice at the Lori Governor’s Office. Present were the community leader of Karindj, staff from the province’s department of nature protection, and a representative from the company,” says Marts Mayor Robert Galstyan.

Galstyan adds that after discussions took place at the governor’s office, he informed a group of 5-6 village residents who had come to see him on unrelated matters about the possible launch of the mine.

After Teghout, the forest of Motkor?

The mining site in question lies in a sub-district of the Lori town of Toumanyan; along the right bank of the Marts River. It covers an area of 830 hectares. The center of the development site lies five kilometers from the village of Marts and 2.5 kilometers from Lorout.

Most of the area is forested. The mountain slopes are covered with beech and oak trees. The lower climes are mostly meadowland. Endangered flora and fauna inhabit the area.

Lorout, Marts, Marts-Pravashen-Boudaghidzor Development Site; Green denotes forests

The map above shows that the area to be surveyed and tested is mostly forest. And this is just the extent of the site according to the company’s preliminary plan.

The company’s preliminary plan says nothing about the possible environmental risks to the Marts River. Nevertheless, at the public hearings held at the Lori Governor’s Office ,Victoria Silver Director Gagik Khojayan claimed that the mine would not affect the river at all given that the stretch of the river in question already flows through pipes for use by mini hydro plants.

Marts Mayor Galstyan argues that whether the mine operates or not, the forest will be cleared.

“OK, I agree. We believe that the forest must be removed. No? So won’t the forest be cleared without the mine? Legally or not, it’s being cut down.”

From our conversations with Marts residents it became clear that many weren’t as optimistic as the mayor.

“They still haven’t come to work the mine so we aren’t concerned. When the whole village stood up, were we able to stop the mini hydro plants?” said Marts resident Artash Zavaryan. “What can we do? The people are leaving for Russia. They are forcing them to go.”

Rafik Afitseryan, another Marts resident, chimed in that no one in government listens to them.

“Operating a mine will damage the environment. Isn’t that clear? There are those in the village who say the mine will create jobs. But can a mine be beneficial? I don’t care if it’s gold or something else,” Afitseryan said, adding that he doesn’t believe villagers opposed to the mine could stop it.

“It’s like this. On the one hand villagers say it will hurt the environment. But on the other, they are people with no work, so they hope that jobs might be created,” explained Marts resident A. Aghajanyan.

According to Marts Mayor Galstyan, the village has 940 head of cattle and 300 head of smaller livestock. Lorout Mayor Hrachik Sahakyan says his community has 2,300 head of cattle and 600 smaller livestock.

Marts Mayor Robert Galstyan Lorout Mayor Hrachik Sahakyan

“There were no public hearings in Lorout either. One day we announced in the village center that somebody from them [the company] had visited. I don’t know his name,” said Mayor Sahakyan.

The mayors of Marts and Lorout spoke up at the hearings in the Regional Governor’s Office. They said that residents weren’t opposed to the mine and would be in support if they could be guaranteed jobs.

Lorout School Principal Davit Sargsyan takes a slightly different take regarding public hearings.

“The idea of public hearings is more based on emotions than facts. They’re based on facts that haven’t yet occurred. You say that so many hectares of forest will be cleared. So isn’t there a need for hearings? They should ask residents of Moktor if they want to be polluted. No? Naturally, the answer would be we don’t want it [the mine]”

On July 18, 2014, the Lori Municipal Council passed a decision that would allow for the rezoning of the agricultural area and drawing up a leasing contract with Victoria Silver once surveys confirmed that the mineral reserves of the mine. Mayor Galstyan begrudgingly confessed that the Marts Municipal Council also approved geological exploration of the site, but noted that no contract with Victoria Silver had been signed.

HayAntar Director Martoun Matevosyan told Hetq that Victoria Silver had filed a petition with the Ministry of Agriculture for permission to conduct surveys of the area. HayAntar (Armenian Forests) did not oppose conducting surveys.

“HayAntar discussed the matter with the Lori Governor and the communities of Lorout and Marts. Taking into account that the governor and these communities placed importance on the fact that no trees would be cut during the work, HayAntar has no objection to geological exploratory activities,” HayAntar responded.

HayAntar Director Matevosyan says he’s opposed to any threat to the Motkor forests if the mine starts operating. He believes it’s a bit premature to consider such possibilities given that a preliminary plan for operating the mine as yet doesn’t exist and that other factors, whether the mine will be an open or closed pit, have still to be decided.

“As the director of HayAntar and a native of Lori, I’d oppose the clearing of the forests. But since we are still in the exploratory phase and receiving an operating license is such a complicated process, in which the opinion of the HayAntar director will not, I think, be decisive, nevertheless we will voice our view.”

According to the plan presented to the Ministry of Nature Protection, exploratory work at the site will continue until 2017.

Despite the fact that surveys conducted prior to the 1970s did not reveal significant gold reserves, exploratory teams started to survey the Marts River field starting in 1976. This resulted in uncovering several deposits of ore containing gold and copper.

Estimates of ore reserves total 2,700 tons. Gold reserves are estimated at 11,610 kilograms; 29.7 tons of silver; 9,180 tons of copper; 18,900 tons of lead; 48,600 tons of zinc.

Who is eying the gold and copper of Motkor?

Victoria Silver Ltd. was registered in Armenia in May of 2014. The company stock is equally divided among the following individuals - Armen Gevorgyan, Yervand Hovhannisyan, Ruzanna Beglaryan.

Yervand Hovhannisyan headed the Underground Resources and Surveyor Management Division at the Ministry of Nature Protection when Vardan Ayvazyan served as minister from 2001-2007. (Ayvazyan is now a member of the National Assembly and chairs the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs).

Hovhannisyan was involved in Ayvazyan’s mining projects. More to the point, Hovhannisyan represents Ayvazyan’s interests.

Another interesting fact to note is that Hasmik Harutyunyan (Yervand Hovhannisyan’s wife) owns 33% of the shares of Grejd Redmet, a company seeking to operate a gold mine in the vicinity of Fioletovo, Armenia.

Ruzanna Beglaryan turns out to be the wife of Vache Ghazaryan, who heads the president’s security staff.

It’s not by coincidence that renowned Armenian writer Hrant Matevosyan, a native of Lori, once declared that issues as the loss of land, the aggression of manufacturing, and the clash of man and nature were too important to be overlooked.

“Such matters must be discussed by the whole country altogether or not at all. Half measures are worse than silence. Reserved speech drains and numbs the issue,” the writer once said in an interview.   

Comments (4)

Petr
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Սամվել
Շատ եմ ափսոսում,որ մի ամբողջ մարզի բնակչության կարծիքի վրա թքած ունեն այսօրվա իշխանությունը յուրացրած ղեկավարությունը։Ւսկական բնապահպանական աղետները սկսվել ու շարունակվում են Ալավերդիում,Շամլուղում,Աղթալայում,Այրումում,Ճոճկանում,Թեղուտում,Շնողում ու հարակից համայնքներում,հիմա էլ աչքները տնկել են Մոտկորի կուսական անտառներին։Օտար բռնազավթողները այդքան վնաս չեն տվել մեր երկրին,որքան այս բռնապետական ռեժիմը։
սանթրո
Լոռըցիները տհենց էլ դինջ ու անփուշ մնացին: Էդ կռոի տղեն իրա գեղը հրամեց փախավ, հմի ապահով մեջք ա գտել, մեր բնության ու ժողովրդի հերն ա անիծում: Մալականների ղազխը կերան, հմի ուրիշ թալան են գտել: Բա սաղ ռայոնով նրանց մի գեղի չափ չկանք: Թե թհենց ա է էնա գնանք գետինը մտնենք, էլ ընչի համար ապրենք: Թե պտի ձեն չհանենք ու Թեղուտի, Շնողի օրն ընկնենք: Ալավերդումը ռակի ռեկորդ են հանել, մուխը մի կողքից ա խեղտում հրամած հողն ու քոլն էլ մի կողքից, սարքի մարդ չի մնացել, էդ սարերն ու գեղերն էլ որ քանդեն էլ լոռուցը ինչա մնալու: Հենց դրա հմար ել գեղերն իրար են կպցնում ու գլխնին կտրում որ ձեն հանող չլի այ միամիտներ: Վերջը մարթ ենք թե անլիզու ոչխար որ անձեն մորթվենք ու գյալմա շներին կեր ըլենք: Լոռին վախտին ղաչաղի երկիր ա ելել, ռսի թագավորի դեմ ել են ծառս էլել, վրաստանը գրաված պարսկին էլ ջարդ տվել մեր պապերը, տո հենց իրանց էլ, հմի էս բաշիբոզուկին ինչ նամուսով կուլ գնանք
Edward Demiraiakian
The problem is not mining. One can't stop that. The problem is lack of enforcement powers on the regulators. Mine reclamation is crucial. In the west, a reclamation plan has to be submitted before any mining can occur. When done, and the mine is exhausted, the land can be returned to its original state of productivity.

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