Zhamanak: Pashinyan to attend Poland economic forum 'amid tensions over Amulsar mine'

While the heated debates over the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine are still going on, reports have emerged that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is set to attend the 29th economic forum in Poland.

Citing a statement released by the Armenian leader’s official website, the paper says that he is listed among the most expected invitees. The chief of Armenia’s cabinet, who earlier attended the Davos World Economic Forum and the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, will undoubtedly address the Armenian velvet revolution, elaborating on its comprehensive aspects. According to the paper, he will attempt to bring attention to Armenia’s attractiveness to potential investors and its significance in the context of the civilizational-cultural set of values.

“As to the specific economic effect of those presentations, which the prime minister makes on international platforms time and again to address the velvet revolution of Armenia, they are hard to measure indeed. It is clear though that such a measurement would be really far from consolable when it comes to the direct economic impact.

″On the other hand, Pashinyan’s speech, regardless of its content (as well as the author), is hardly ever likely to give the green light to an active flow of investments, given especially that economic processes are, as a rule, temporary in essence, particularly, in the current climate of high global risks amid the heated trade wars among the power centers. To attract capital, however, such speech-presentations are not deemed sufficient at all (though they have their specific place and role); what is needed is a comprehensive politico-economic effort, which itself is a temporary process.

“Armenia is evidently on that track after the velvet revolution, with the change having brought about also certain foreign policy shifts that contain a rather in-depth transformation potential (including even politico-military ones), provoking an international interest (also by different power centers).

“Notably enough, however, Nikol Pashinyan is attending the forum in Poland against the backdrop of a very specific issue, i.e. – Amulsar,” says the paper, highlighting the controversial aspect of the entire problem.

Given that the international event is being held in Krynica, a leading European resort city, the campaign against the exploitation of the mine located not very far from Jermuk is thought to be a hot topic for the south-eastern Armenians resort. Yet the selected venue does not at all prompt any content, let alone a specific mood, adds the paper, noting that the whole thing is about a business, a sector where the predominant issue deals with investment protection and property immunity.

“Hence against the backdrop of Amulsar, the Armenian prime minister’s attendance at the economic forum in Poland is becoming really intriguing,” the paper writes, commenting on the report.