Armenia launches controversial Amulsar gold mine amid lingering environmental opposition

After a prolonged delay and protests, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially opened the Amulsar gold mine in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor province, close to the resort town of Jermuk. The mine, run by Lydian Armenia—a subsidiary of Jersey-registered Lydian International—had been halted in 2018 after local blockades, which only ended during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Government officials claim the operation will bring roughly $130 million a year in taxes and duties and raise the national GDP by about 1.5 %, while also providing millions of dollars in community funding and a $5 million contribution to a new national park.

Environmental activists fear the cyanide-based extraction could pollute the Arpa and Vorotan rivers and Lake Sevan, despite a 2019 ELARD assessment that deemed the earlier impact study incomplete but concluded no significant damage. The opening coincides with the upcoming COP17 biodiversity summit in Yerevan, drawing criticism from NGOs who say the mine contradicts Armenia’s environmental commitments.