The community of Areni, in the province of Vayots Dzor, sits in the middle of Armenia’s wine region.

Roadside stalls selling local wines and larger wineries dot the highway cutting through Areni, attracting wine enthusiasts from near and far.

On May 6, the Areni Municipal Council, by a vote of 9-0, decided to ban mining operations in its district and thus declare the area an “eco-economic zone”.

The vote came on the heels of a petition organized by the community that collected 2,868 signatures to declare the area off limits for mining.

The mining ban didn’t sit well with some higher up the government chain.

The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development sent a letter to the Vayots Dzor Provincial Governor requesting that he personally reach out to all communities in the province that had banned mining and see to it that the bans were lifted.

On May 10, the Areni Municipal Council reviewed the Provincial Governor’s request to overturn its May 6 mining ban. The council rejected the request by a vote of 5-2.

The Vayots Dzor Provincial Administration has since decided to take the matter to the court, asking that the Areni mining ban declared null and void.

The Vayots Dzor Provincial Administration has also gone to court to overturn an April 29 decision by the Gladzor Municipal Council to ban local mining and declare its an eco-economic zone.

The communities of Yeghegnadzor, Noyemberyan and Jermuk have also campaigned to ban mining.