Due to the environmental damage and significant consequences of Armenia's mining industry, the Environmental Protection First (EPF) Coalition demands that those companies disclose their concealed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents to the public.

AZERTAC presents the statement issued by the Coalition in this regard.

“Advocating for safeguarding the environment in the South Caucasus region Environmental Protection First (EPF) Coalition previously called upon the local and international companies engaged in Armenia's mining sector to promptly publish the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents on their official websites or make public posts about the outcomes of the assessment. Regrettably, these documents are still not available to the public. It is raising questions about the transparency of the activities in the mining industry of Armenia.

We call on the mining companies operating in Armenia to be open to communications with our coalition. Environmental Protection First (EPF) Coalition plans to reach out to the corporate headquarters of those companies to request a meeting with their leadership concerning the ecological pollution in our wider region. EPF emphasizes the need for accountability.

Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals we appealed to Armenian Prime Minister several months ago expressing our deep concerns regarding the serious ecological situation caused by the mining industry of Armenia, demanding the cessation of extraction immediately.

Noting that 2024 UN Climate Change Conference – COP 29 will be held in the South Caucasus region, in Azerbaijan, Armenia should also be encouraged to be more vigilant about the environmental protection.

We call upon on the Armenian civil society organizations and environmental activists to join our efforts in fostering clean environment in the South Caucasus. Afterall, the population of Armenia is primarily affected by this environmental catastrophe. Let’s not forget that the nature knows no borders and we all share one region.

Armenia must ensure that both local and international companies engaged in Armenia's mining industry make the full content of their EIA documents public and act responsibly for the sake of environmental justice.

Signatures:

Sabit Bagirov, Entrepreneurship and Market Economy Development Foundation

Parvana Valiyeva, "Saglamliga Khidmat" Public Union

Amin Mammadov, "Experts in the Field of Water Use" Public Union

Gamza Yusubova, “Environmental Education and Monitoring” Public Union.”