Dear Mr. President, We citizens of Armenia welcome the policy you have declared in regard with environmental security and sustainable development. We think it’s important that possessing significant natural resources Russia is conscious of its responsibility towards next generations for sustainable nature management. Together with you and the Russian people we empathize in regard with human and natural losses you suffered because of wide-scale fires in the central part of the Russian Federation and elimination of woodlands that are hard to recover. Loss of natural resources threatens us also, as the forests in Armenia are disappearing at disastrous rates thus polluting pure water sources. Not only Armenia, but also the whole world is incurring these losses. Thereby we would like to draw your attention to Russian VneshTorgBank’s activities, which intends to grant a loan of nearly 300 million USD to develop a copper and molybdenum mine in Teghout forest, one of the remaining virgin forests in Armenia. Independent experts and the public have repeatedly pointed out the non-compliance of the Teghout project with domestic and international legislation, its economic unsoundness, violation of environmental security principles, pollution and water resources loss risks, probability of landslip processes in the areas where high hazard rating buildings will be located such as tailing dump and dumps containing toxic metals etc. The VTB administration refuses to have a dialog with the public; it doesn’t answer letters and neglects public protest by resorting to force. As a result, many organizations and private individuals refrain from VTB services which have an impact on this huge financial institution’s image. We would also like to make you aware that at present the Armenian Government decision on Teghout mine development and other consequent decisions are questioned in many domestic courts, as well as in the European Court of Human Rights. Mr. President, we call you to persuade the Russian VneshTorgBank to refrain from Teghout project funding. We do believe this can have a positive role in strengthening trust between our countries in the current complicated situation regarding socio-economic relations. On behalf of S.O.S. Teghout Group and the 5,000 citizens who have signed the letter opposing to Teghout project: 1. Mamikon Ghasabyan, Armenian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife in Armenia 2. Zhanna Galyan, "Armenian Ecotourism Association" 3. Edgar Yengibaryan, Coordinator for the Aarhus Center in Hrazdan 4. Nikita Zarobyan, Teghout Forests Protection Group Member 5. Sona Ayvazyan, Teghout Forests Protection Group Member 6. Mariam Sukhudyan, Teghout Forests Protection Group Member 7. Nelli Gugenyan, Teghout Forests Protection Group Member 8. Samvel Hovhannisyan, "Bicycle+" NGO Chairman 9. Vahram Soghomonyan, "We Are Our City’s Owners" Initiative Movement" 10. Mane Hakobyan, "People Are Their Country’s Owners" Union Chairman 11. Inga Zarafyan, "EcoLur" Informational NGO President 12. Arman Vermishyan, "Burg" Youth Environmental Center 13. Gevorg Petrosyan, "Biosophia" President, the Coordinator for the Aarhus Center in Gyumri 14. Yelena Manvelyan, "Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment" NGO 15. Silva Adamyan, Bird Lovers Center NGO 16. Greta Gabrielyan, Ecological Academy 17. Hasmik Aslanyan, "Shogher" Union 18. Levon Matsakyan, Children’s campus 19. Qnarik Hovhannisyan, Union for Armenian Seismologists