YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held a meeting today at the Government Headquarters with a group of residents of Jermuk, Vayots Dzor.

The meeting focused on the situation regarding the Amulsar gold mine project, the PM’s Office said in a news release.

Earlier in August PM Pashinyan personally visited the town of Jermuk and met the local population to discuss the matter.

“In particular, the Environmental Impact Assessment procedures, the monitoring issue, the legal, economic and environmental aspects and public concerns were addressed,” reads the news release.

The PM attached importance to the government-society dialogue over issues of public concern and noted that the solution to the Amulsar issue must be based on Armenia’s balanced interest, and that future steps must be taken by taking into account the importance of viewing all components of the project in a complex whole, the PM’s Office said.

The Amulsar gold mine project, a program operated by Lydian Armenia – the subsidiary of gold developer Lydian Armenia - is currently stopped pending the government’s approval for resumption of operations. The Ministry of Environment has requested the National Academy of Sciences to assess the Environmental Impact Assessment of the project.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan