ArmeniaNow  --  "Let's Save Teghut Forest" environmental group, consisting of 250 activists went to Teghut on January 15 where, as they state, they tried to introduce the situation in Teghut to the participants of the environmental initiative.

“This was a study initiative, which aimed to introduce Teghut forest, the works done there, and what threatens Teghut to all those people who will later fight against the development of the mine,” says Gor Hakobyan, head of "Let's Save Teghut Forest" environmental group.

It has been more than four years -- since November 2007 -- that environmentalists have tried to stop the development of further copper and molybdenum processing near the village of Teghut in the Lori province. According to environmentalists this may irrevocably damage the ecology and Teghut village, where there are as many as 55,000 rare and 45,000 valuable trees in the Teghut forests, as well as plants and animal species registered in the Red Book [listing endangered species].

In Teghut the members of the environmental group were met by villagers, who were for the development of the mine and asked the environmentalists to leave.

The Teghut and Shnogh villages of the Lori province are some four-six kilometers from the mine.

Harutyun Meliksetyan, Head of Teghut village, the population of which is 780 people, told ArmeniaNow that the mine is one of the few workplaces which hire 170 residents of the village, paying on average 60,000 drams (about $150) per month each, and according to Meliksetyan, “the development of the mine is already irrevocable.”

Resident of Shnogh village Gevorg Papyan told ArmeniaNow that in spite of job creations, some damages have already appeared.

“I believe that natural resources must be used. Thanks to the development of the mine many residents of our village have jobs now, however, when now I see how polluted the river running down our village is, and the lands are lost in dust, I understand that it is already causing some damages, and the situation will be even worse in a few years,” Papyan says.