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TEGHOOD
Garen Yegparian
http://asbarez.com/101734/teghood/
I have intentionally used Western Armenian pronunciation and an
otherwise differing spelling of a very threatened forest's name. I have
to address a minor point that's a major irritant to me. It's one thing
to use Eastern Armenian pronunciation to transliterate Armenian words
to English. It is, after all, the official, linguistic, convention
to do so. No problem there. What's ridiculous is the rendition, in
this case as Teghut instead of Teghoot, leading to a pronunciation
similar to the first part of the word "utter," and looking like a
Turkish mutilation of one of our place-names!
On to the substantive stuff-Teghoot, a forest in the north-eastern
part (Lori Provice) of the Republic of Armenia (RoA), was last in
the news half a decade ago. But it seems the money ran short in the
land-rapists' pockets until recently, and the problem went dormant.
The issue is mining of copper and molybdenum in what is now an old
growth forest with all its attendant biodiversity and natural service
provision (clean water, food, recreation, etc.). And, to my best
understanding, it would be a strip mining operation.
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) addresses the Teghoot issue in a recent
publication on environmental issues in the Republic of Armenia.
Between that, some blog postings on Armenian Environmental Network's
website, and the panel discussion organized by the ARF Shant Student
Association last Sunday (for full disclosure- I was a speaker at that
event), I'm left with a heightened sense of disgust and inclination
to fight this abomination-in-the-making.
The consequences of this mining operation would be devastating to
the agrarian economy of the area- the villages of Shnogh & Teghoot,
and the ecology- destruction of the forest, mining wastes and tailings
stored untreated and unsafely, pollution and other damage of the rivers
in the area. Of course, there is an up-side. There would be a roughly
two-decade period of employment for the locals, but... then what? The
ruin of their environment would leave future generations bereft of any
viable local economy, leading to more rural-urban (Yerevan) migration)
and subsequent expatriation. Is that what we want as a nation?
Yet, the locals' desire for jobs is very legitimate, understandable,
and reasonable. We must support the area through eco-tourism, and
fast. All those traveling to Armenia this summer should make it a
point to go there, spend some money, and be sure to make known to the
locals that it's the local beauty which attracted you. In the longer
term, more structured trips with hikes, animal watching, perhaps
water-sporting, even hunting, etc. must be organized. Meanwhile,
massive public pressure must be brought upon the government of the
RoA, both internally and internationally. PFA cites dozens of laws
and international agreements being violated by this mining project
as currently being implemented, so there's a good basis for heat to
be applied.
But that's not enough. The greed that leads to this kind of destructive
behavior must be checked. The anticipated income over the life of this
project is well above $20 billion. Yet the benefits to the country
are a paltry $600+ million. Meanwhile, the hastily and inadequately
prepared Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would lead to locals
being compensated in pennies for their lost trees, property, and
livelihood. The full glare of public scrutiny and sunshine on these
outrageous inconsistencies is another avenue of slowing down this
process to a manageable pace. If there's mining to be done, let
it be done in a safe, environmentally sound, human-health-neutral,
and non-destructive way.
There's also a shadiness to this whole proposition. The outfit that
will do the mining is Armenian Copper Program. It is a subsidiary
of Vallex which, in turn, is owned 19% by Valeri Mejlumyan, and
the rest...
Who knows? It is registered in Lichtenstein (think about what you
know of how money is "hidden" in Switzerland), therefore ownership
is masked. Rumors, impossible to confirm or refute because of the
secrecy enabled by Lichtenstein, attribute some interest in this firm
to President Sarkissian's family. Meanwhile, the EIA was prepared by
Lernametalurgiai Institute cjsc (LMI), which evidently has a de facto
monopoly on preparation of these documents for all mining projects in
the RoA. It is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Vallex Group and ACP.
Can you say "conflict-of-interest"?
You get the idea. It's sickening how a project that could be a boon
for all concerned- local population, RoA's economy, and its investors-
can be perverted into a monster.
Applying public pressure, insisting on full application of the
appropriate procedures (relevant laws seem to be in place in RoA),
and exposing the greed and shadiness of the companies proposing
to implement this project, buy time to develop viable, sustainable
options and alternatives while educating all concerned about them.
Watch for action alerts emanating from the homeland and the Diaspora.
Start contacting RoA's diplomatic establishments (embassies,
consulates) in your area expressing your concerns. Let's build a
movement to save this forest, provide for the locals, and build up and
entrench the rule of law in the RoA. After all, a despoiled, desolate
country is useless as a homeland. We can stop this ruinous process!
Garen Yegparian
http://asbarez.com/101734/teghood/
I have intentionally used Western Armenian pronunciation and an
otherwise differing spelling of a very threatened forest's name. I have
to address a minor point that's a major irritant to me. It's one thing
to use Eastern Armenian pronunciation to transliterate Armenian words
to English. It is, after all, the official, linguistic, convention
to do so. No problem there. What's ridiculous is the rendition, in
this case as Teghut instead of Teghoot, leading to a pronunciation
similar to the first part of the word "utter," and looking like a
Turkish mutilation of one of our place-names!
On to the substantive stuff-Teghoot, a forest in the north-eastern
part (Lori Provice) of the Republic of Armenia (RoA), was last in
the news half a decade ago. But it seems the money ran short in the
land-rapists' pockets until recently, and the problem went dormant.
The issue is mining of copper and molybdenum in what is now an old
growth forest with all its attendant biodiversity and natural service
provision (clean water, food, recreation, etc.). And, to my best
understanding, it would be a strip mining operation.
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) addresses the Teghoot issue in a recent
publication on environmental issues in the Republic of Armenia.
Between that, some blog postings on Armenian Environmental Network's
website, and the panel discussion organized by the ARF Shant Student
Association last Sunday (for full disclosure- I was a speaker at that
event), I'm left with a heightened sense of disgust and inclination
to fight this abomination-in-the-making.
The consequences of this mining operation would be devastating to
the agrarian economy of the area- the villages of Shnogh & Teghoot,
and the ecology- destruction of the forest, mining wastes and tailings
stored untreated and unsafely, pollution and other damage of the rivers
in the area. Of course, there is an up-side. There would be a roughly
two-decade period of employment for the locals, but... then what? The
ruin of their environment would leave future generations bereft of any
viable local economy, leading to more rural-urban (Yerevan) migration)
and subsequent expatriation. Is that what we want as a nation?
Yet, the locals' desire for jobs is very legitimate, understandable,
and reasonable. We must support the area through eco-tourism, and
fast. All those traveling to Armenia this summer should make it a
point to go there, spend some money, and be sure to make known to the
locals that it's the local beauty which attracted you. In the longer
term, more structured trips with hikes, animal watching, perhaps
water-sporting, even hunting, etc. must be organized. Meanwhile,
massive public pressure must be brought upon the government of the
RoA, both internally and internationally. PFA cites dozens of laws
and international agreements being violated by this mining project
as currently being implemented, so there's a good basis for heat to
be applied.
But that's not enough. The greed that leads to this kind of destructive
behavior must be checked. The anticipated income over the life of this
project is well above $20 billion. Yet the benefits to the country
are a paltry $600+ million. Meanwhile, the hastily and inadequately
prepared Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would lead to locals
being compensated in pennies for their lost trees, property, and
livelihood. The full glare of public scrutiny and sunshine on these
outrageous inconsistencies is another avenue of slowing down this
process to a manageable pace. If there's mining to be done, let
it be done in a safe, environmentally sound, human-health-neutral,
and non-destructive way.
There's also a shadiness to this whole proposition. The outfit that
will do the mining is Armenian Copper Program. It is a subsidiary
of Vallex which, in turn, is owned 19% by Valeri Mejlumyan, and
the rest...
Who knows? It is registered in Lichtenstein (think about what you
know of how money is "hidden" in Switzerland), therefore ownership
is masked. Rumors, impossible to confirm or refute because of the
secrecy enabled by Lichtenstein, attribute some interest in this firm
to President Sarkissian's family. Meanwhile, the EIA was prepared by
Lernametalurgiai Institute cjsc (LMI), which evidently has a de facto
monopoly on preparation of these documents for all mining projects in
the RoA. It is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Vallex Group and ACP.
Can you say "conflict-of-interest"?
You get the idea. It's sickening how a project that could be a boon
for all concerned- local population, RoA's economy, and its investors-
can be perverted into a monster.
Applying public pressure, insisting on full application of the
appropriate procedures (relevant laws seem to be in place in RoA),
and exposing the greed and shadiness of the companies proposing
to implement this project, buy time to develop viable, sustainable
options and alternatives while educating all concerned about them.
Watch for action alerts emanating from the homeland and the Diaspora.
Start contacting RoA's diplomatic establishments (embassies,
consulates) in your area expressing your concerns. Let's build a
movement to save this forest, provide for the locals, and build up and
entrench the rule of law in the RoA. After all, a despoiled, desolate
country is useless as a homeland. We can stop this ruinous process!