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Lydian International Limited expressed on Friday deep disappointment with comments made by ELARD about ‘gaps’, ‘deficiencies’ and a ‘lack of quality’ of the environmental audit of Amulsar Project. The statement was released by the organization following the Skype conference call hosted by the Government of Armenia with ELARD independent consultancy group representatives that addressed the environmental audit of Amulsar Project and related environmental impact assessments.

The statement said Lydian and its technical advisors provided the SIC and ELARD with direct access to all personnel and supporting information for over three months, including over 300 reports representing over 20,000 pages of data and materials that had been developed over an 8-year period relating to environmental aspects of the Amulsar Project.

“While Lydian welcomed ELARD’s rightful conclusion about the lack of impact on Lake Sevan and the Jermuk water source, yesterday’s regrettable performance by ELARD reveals more about an apparent lack of capacity to review and analyze complex details of more than 20,000 pages of professional studies provided to them by leading global experts than it does about Lydian or the Amulsar Project,” the statement said.

The organization next states that it “has been illegally deprived of its right to access and operate the Amulsar Project since June 2018,” It also recalls that the Government of Armenia had repeatedly stated that the restoration of the rights of the Company to operate were dependent on the results of an audit conducted by ELARD.

“The Government of Armenia has said publicly that Lydian and the Amulsar Project have been the subject of a campaign by rival mining companies providing support to opponents of the Amulsar Project. Armenian society has been dragged into an endless discussion around an audit which had no legal grounds to question Lydian’s rights to operate in the first place. When will the Government of Armenia identify the rival mining companies conducting this campaign, how much has been paid to oppose the Amulsar Project and who has been paid?” the statement concluded.