Pashinyan in Jermuk: 'I listen to the voice of the people'

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the resort town of Jermuk today and, according to a government press release, discussed the results of the Elard environmental impact assessment on Amulsar with town residents.

Pashinyan is said to have talked to Jermuk residents gathered in the central square, claiming that he has read all the letters sent him regarding Amulsar and that, as promised when he assumed power as prime minister last year, he's listened to the voice of the people.

“In June-July of last year there was a huge batch of letters that I read it myself. When you say, listen to the voice of the people, the voice of the people has always been heard, and I hope you know that the voice of the people in today's Armenia cannot be ignored,” Pashinyan said according the press release.

Pashinyan said that a resolution of the Amulsar debate should be based on the balanced interests of the country.

“Now it is claimed that the air will be polluted, the water will be polluted, the soil will be polluted, there will be noise, there will be dust, the groundwater will be polluted. If so, the mine cannot be exploited. But if it turns out that this is not the case, we face a different situation,” Pashinyan told residents.

Pashinyan went on to say that he was displeased that people on both sides of the issue no longer listen to one another, again stressing that he had not neglected the voice of those opposing the Amulsar mine.

Commenting on the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by Elard, Pashinyan said the official conclusion is that the mine would not threaten Lake Sevan or the Jermuk springs.

“There is a problem with interpretation, and since there has been a debate about it, I have decided that we will have a Skype conference on Thursday or Friday with the Elard Expert Group. We will say that there is a great debate in Armenia about   what you wrote. We’ll ask them to specify their own conclusion. The whole conversation will be recorded and published,” Pashinyan is reported to have told Jermuk residents.

Concluding his speech, Pashinyan emphasized: “My position is one. If it turns out that it is true, that our water will be polluted, our air will be polluted, our grass will be polluted, our soil will be polluted, then, the mine will not operate. But if it turns out that the only problem is that someone looking out of their window will see a roof, well, that’s a different situation we must discuss.”