The Armenian Town That Replaced Mining With Sustainable Development

In Armenia, the Amulsar debate continues, with the Minister of Environment calling for the examination of more data. The buzz surrounding the crisis has somewhat subsided, but traveling through Armenia this summer I saw the crisis at its peak. Protesters were blocking the streets of Yerevan and the entrance to the mining site. The internet was exploding with articles, petitions and statements, and there was news that Lydian was suing Armenia in a non-transparent corporate court. It seemed absurd: while Europe was lauding Armenia for its transition to democratic governance, a European company was suing Armenia because its government had maintained a commitment to democracy and refused to remove protesters blocking the mining site. As I read articles, heard stories and discussed with friends, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had seen in Western Armenia last year. It was eye-opening to see that, in addition to ravaging the Armenian and Kurdish populations, the Turkish state had completely desecrated the land. The tops of so many mountains were blown off, the country roads were lined with dirt, garbage and industrial plants, and the Arax river, my namesake and one of the legends from my childhood, was brown, sluggish and full of trash. I found myself grieving for the destruction of my ancestral lands and wondering in horror what the Armenian government was going to do about it.