Armenia hosts action in support of Kajaran

On December 29, in Yerevan, in front of the building of the government, an action was held in support of Kajaran villagers. The protesters demanded to annul the decision of the government, under which the lands that belonged to the rural community of Kajaran were transferred to the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

The participants gave a letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to reconsider the government's decision No. 627 regarding the land of Kajaran. Then, the crowd headed to the presidential residence, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

According to Rafik Atayan, the head of the village community, the whole territory of the village, that is, 150 hectares, falls into the zone of the deposit development. "All the villagers are against expansion of the deposit; and we'll stand on that to the end. We need no compensation, we have nowhere to go, and we're not going to give away our land," said Rafik Atayan.

The action was initiated by the public ecological initiative "Trkchan". Its activists had visited Kajaran and met local residents. According to ecologist Egiya Nersisyan, a member of the group, residents of Kajaran "are very bravely spirited and get even more inspired, when they see how they are supported."

According to Mariam Sukhudyan, an activist of the environmental movement, Armenia has set up all the conditions for development of business and economy. "But the question is: of the economy of what country? Germany? I agree. But not of our country," she said.

"In our country I see no development. It's enough to look at the living conditions of villagers, whose entrails are exploited. We must stand up for Kajaran villagers, otherwise we have no right to be called Armenians," - emotionally said Sukhudyan.

Inga Zarafyan, the chair of the public ecological organization "Ecolur", asserts that in terms of ecology the state of the territory of the Syunik Region is catastrophic.

"Starting from the foodstuffs, grown on toxic lands, and ending with children, in whose hair toxic metals are detected - everything is contaminated with mining wastes. They contain elements of high-grade toxicity," said Inga Zarafyan.

At the moment there are no comments of the officials of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine on the allegations put forward at the rally. Earlier, the German company "Kronimet" said that it was ready to discuss the villagers' complaints and suggestions, but was not going to abandon the idea to expand the deposit, the NEWS.am reports.