YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed the recent concerns in July purporting that the Teghut mine’s tailings dam is on the verge of collapse. The PM emphasized that there is no risk of collapse and the safety of the structure has been proven by the latest earthquake. 

“If these claims were to be true the Teghut mine’s tailings dam should had collapsed or at least breached or deformed as a result of the recent earthquake, because the magnitude recorded near the mine was 2-4,” the PM said on Facebook.

“This is exactly what I mean when I say pursue the truth,” the PM said in reference to a recent speech.

During those days there was a great deal of pressure on the government to shut down the Teghut mine. If we were to do so more than 900 people would’ve lost their jobs, and the suspended mine would become a problem because there would be no entity responsible for it to whom demands would be possible to bring forward, including in terms of securing environmental and safety norms,” he said.

The PM said inspections at the mine had earlier showed that there is no risk of collapse and the earthquake only proved this to be accurate.

“After this the mine operator was issued a demand to carry out studies of the tailings dam and secure its long-term safety. If this demand is secures, the mine will be operates as much as I would dislike it, if this demand isn’t met the mine will not be operated, as much as I would like it. This is the true path of the truth”.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan