Amulsar mine to start operations by year-end

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia’s Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan has announced that the Amulsar gold mine is expected to begin operations by the end of the year. According to the minister, the project will have a limited but positive effect on the national economy.

“If Amulsar starts operating this year, we estimate it could contribute about 0.5 percent to GDP growth,” Hovhannisyan stated during a press conference, as reported by Panorama.am.

He emphasized that the economic impact of the project will be mostly marginal.

Hovhannisyan also noted that Armenia’s economic growth has returned to its natural, potential rate, currently standing at approximately 5 to 5.5 percent.

Amnesty International, in the “Right to a Healthy Environment” section of its annual report, raised concerns about harassment campaigns by mining companies targeting Armenian environmental activists. The report noted that activists faced lawsuits aimed at silencing them, as well as defamatory media campaigns.