I have intentionally used Western Armenian pronunciation and an otherwise differing spelling of a very threatened forest’s name. I have to address a minor point that’s a major irritant to me: It’s one thing to use Eastern Armenian pronunciation to transliterate Armenian words to English; it is, after all, the official, linguistic convention to do so. No problem there. What’s ridiculous is the rendition, in this case as Teghut instead of Teghoot, leading to a pronunciation similar to the first part of the word “utter,” and looking like a Turkish mutilation of one of our place-names!
On to the substantive stuff— Teghoot, a forest in the north-eastern part (Lori Province) of the Republic of Armenia (RoA), was last in the news half a decade ago. But it seems the money ran short in the land-rapists’ pockets until recently, and the problem went dormant. The issue involves the mining of copper and molybdenum in what is now an old growth forest with all its attendant biodiversity and natural service provision (clean water, food, recreation, etc.). And, to my best understanding, it would be a strip mining operation.
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) addresses the Teghoot issue in a recent publication on environmental issues in the RoA. Between that, some blog postings on the Armenian Environmental Network’s website, and the panel discussion organized by the ARF Shant Student Association last Sunday (for full disclosure, I was a speaker at that event), I’m left with a heightened sense of disgust and inclination to fight this abomination-in-the-making.
The consequences of this mining operation would be devastating to the agrarian economy of the area—the villages of Shnogh and Teghoot, and the ecology—and would see the destruction of the forest, mining wastes and tailings stored untreated and unsafely, and pollution and other damage of the rivers in the area. Of course, there is an up-side. There would be a roughly two-decade period of employment for the locals. But then what? The ruin of the environment would leave future generations bereft of any viable local economy, leading to more rural-urban (Yerevan) migration, and subsequent expatriation. Is that what we want as a nation?
The locals’ desire for jobs is very legitimate, understandable, and reasonable. We must support the area through eco-tourism, and fast. All those traveling to Armenia this summer should make it a point to go there, spend some money, and be sure to make it known to the locals that it’s the local beauty that attracted you. In the longer term, more structured trips with hikes, animal watching, and perhaps water-sporting (even hunting, etc.) must be organized. Meanwhile, massive public pressure must be brought upon the government of the RoA, both internally and internationally. PFA cites dozens of laws and international agreements being violated by this mining project, so there’s a good basis for heat to be applied.
But that’s not enough. The greed that leads to this kind of destructive behavior must be checked. The anticipated income over the life of the project is well above $20 billion. Yet the benefits to the country are a paltry $600 million. Meanwhile, the hastily and inadequately prepared Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would lead to the compensation of locals in pennies for lost trees, property, and livelihood. The full glare of public scrutiny and sunshine on these outrageous inconsistencies is another avenue of slowing down this process to a manageable pace. If there’s mining to be done, let it be done in a safe, environmentally sound, human health-neutral, and non-destructive way.
There’s also a shadiness to this whole proposition. The outfit that will do the mining is Armenian Copper Program. It is a subsidiary of Vallex which, in turn, is owned 19 percent by Valeri Mejlumyan. And the rest… Who knows? It is registered in Lichtenstein (think about what you know of how money is “hidden” in Switzerland), and the ownership therefore masked. Rumors, impossible to confirm or refute because of the secrecy enabled by Lichtenstein, attribute some interest in this firm to President Sarkissian’s family. Meanwhile, the EIA was prepared by Lernametalurgiai Institute cjsc (LMI), which evidently has a de facto monopoly on preparing these documents for all mining projects in the RoA. It is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Vallex Group and ACP. Can you say “conflict-of-interest”?
You get the idea. It’s sickening how a project that could be a boon for all concerned—the local population, RoA economy, its investors—can be perverted into a monster.
Applying public pressure, insisting on the full application of the appropriate procedures (relevant laws seem to be in place in the RoA), and exposing the greed and shadiness of the companies proposing to implement this project, all buy time to develop viable, sustainable options and alternatives while educating all concerned about them.
Watch for action alerts emanating from the homeland and the diaspora. Start contacting the RoA’s diplomatic establishments (embassies, consulates) in your area expressing your concerns. Let’s build a movement to save this forest, provide for the locals, and build up and entrench the rule of law in the RoA. After all, a despoiled, desolate country is useless as a homeland. We can stop this ruinous process!
Garen Yegparian
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Save and fight for Teghut is not only an Armenian issue but international issue. It is human rights and animal reights, environmental right protection issue for every conscious and aware person in the world. Save Teghut from anti constitutional and anti human and animal rights mine exploitation, from desfarestation, from distrcution of humans and animals and any living cell in the North of Armenia
Save and fight for Teghut for present and future generation in Armenia and in the world
Թեղուտի պաշտպանության հիմնախնդիրը միայն հայական հիմնախնդիր չե այլև համամարդկային: Այն մարդու, կենդանիների և շրջակա միջավայրի հիմնարար իրավունքների պաշտպանության հիմնախնդիր է բոլոր գիտակից և ինքնորոշված մարդ-անհատների ու ազգերի համար:
Thank you for such a good piece Garen! It is high time that our compatriots in the Diaspora voice their concerns on continued abuse of land, environment, forests and people in Armenia. We have to remember that Armenia is the only available homeland and the only Plan B (i.e. Armenians of Iraq, Syria and other hotspots…). Here find the open letter of Armenians of Norway over this matter – http://hetq.am/eng/news/12229/armenians-of-norway-fully-support-mashtots-park-activists.html