On the 19th of October "S.O.S Sevan" green campaign started from nearby the seat of the Armenia President. The campaign was directed against illegal placement of a crushing and sorting complex in the drainage basin of Lake Sevan, in Sotq, by GeoProMining Gold Company. The campaign participants addressed their statement to the Armenian president, Gegharkounik Regional Administration in Gavar and then they headed for Sotq.

"S.O.S Sevan" Green Campaign participants' statement

To all!!!

From the very beginning of its operation in Armenia GeoProMining Gold Company expressed its intention to transfer the gold recovery factory from Ararat into Sotq in the violation of RA Law "On Lake Sevan". The law protects Sevan from destructive impact of ore processing enterprises.

It's already two years since public has been fighting against the company plans by declaring S.O.S Sevan. Only after the fall in 2009 when the President expressed his will, this construction project of a gold recovery factory in Sotq was closed down. Now, after two years, the company recommences its plans, but in another perspective. There are no more discussions with high officials and institutions, no more official documents, which can be protested.

In March 2011, GeoProMining Gold Company constructed a crushing and sorting complex in the drainage basin of Lake Sevan, Sotq, without any permitting documents and without holding environmental expert assessment and refusing to take part in the public hearings in Sotq Village and neglecting this country's laws, first of all, RA Law "On Lake Sevan". Though the monitoring group set up in the frames of the Committee for Lake Sevan Issues by the President of Armenia gave rather negative assessment to the company activities and despite public hearing participants' appeal to stop this unlawful situation in Sotq, competent bodies didn't give any response.

We have a national and state value - Lake Sevan. The new workshop constructed under open air several times increases the risks of polluting Lake Sevan with heavy and toxic elements such as arsenic, antimony, pirites, which are contained in the dumps after extracting gold concentrate. These elements in crushed form easily combine into toxic compounds and spread in environment, and then get into Sevan. If to take into consideration that 100 million tons of dumps will remain after gold extraction in Sotq, after a certain period of time Sevan won't be a strategic reserve of freshwater of 34 billion cubic meters, but a lake - tail to Sotq workshop.

The company is convinced of its plans, as it is already engaged with the re-equipment of gold recovery factory and upgrading its capacities. They state they will use new technologies for this purpose. But the newest technology is the illegal production workshop in Sotq - the abovementioned crushing and sorting complex.

None of the state officials bears responsibility for the preservation of Sevan ecosystem: either for extinction of industrial reserves of fish in the lake, or for the illegal operation of mining enterprises, and for continuous pollution process of water strategic reserves.

We, S.O.S. Sevan initiative group, demand from Nature Protection Ministry of Armenia to exercise supervisory examinations by the State Environmental Inspection in regard with alarm signals on Sevan and presented the public appropriate acts.

We are demanding from the state bodies to apply all measures to dismantle the illegally constructed complex and to apply punishment measures towards Geopromining Gold for the violation of the Armenian legislation. 

We are demanding from Nature Protection Minister Aram Harutyunyan and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan, whose signatures are put under the permitting documents of the mining companies operating in the drainage area of Lake Sevan to stop the operation of these companies unless a monitoring is carried out to reveal the compliance of their activities with the provisions of RA Law "On Lake Sevan". Particularly we speak about GeoPromining Gold Company and Gegamet Plus Company. 

We are calling on all political parties and citizens of our country. There is no Armenia without Sevan. Forget about political and other disagreements, join us! Let's save Sevan!!!

Environmental Public Alliance

 EcoLur

"Center for Bird Lovers"

Greens Union of Armenia

Armenian Committee of Helsinki Citizens Assembly

National Citizens' Initiative

"EcoDar"

Armenian Technology Academy

A1+

"Now" Civic Initeative