Armenia PM: Amulsar mine may be exploited in Q4 of 2020 at the earliestSeptember 9, 2019 - 14:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday, September 9 that the Amulsar gold mine in Armenia may be exploited in Q4 of 2020 at the earliest, but that the most likely time frame is the first quarter of 2021. Pashinyan in a live Facebook address urged the residents of nearby settlements to unblock the roads leading to the mine. The Prime Minister said he has instructed the Environmental Inspectorate to start inspections in Amulsar. The purpose of inspections is to find the answers to a number of questions and verify the already public and published facts, he said. “Questions that might remain unanswered after the inspections will be tackled in the scope of the criminal case," Pashinyan said. Located in the southern Armenian province of Vayots Dzor, the Amulsar gold mine, owned by Jersey-incorporated Lydian International, has been in development for over a decade. In 2013, UK ambassador Katherine Leach called it “potentially the largest British investment in Armenia”. Lydian states it will provide $488 million to the Armenian state budget in tax and royalty contributions through the ten-year operation of the mine, as well as provide 770 jobs. But after a mass protest movement pushed Armenia’s Republican Party out of power in April and May last year, the mine has become the site of a major stand-off between the Armenian government, protesters and the mining company. Related links: Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |