In response to the publication in the “Zhoghovurd” daily newspaper of August 15, 2025, under the headline “Avinyan’s Architecture of Injustice in Shorzha”, we provide the following clarification:
The assertion made in the article that “If justice and equality were functioning properly, Hakob Simidyan, former Minister of Environment of the RA and Hambardzum Matevosyan, current Minister should also be in court today” is manipulative in nature.
Such wording misleads the public and harms the good reputation of Hakob Simidyan, former Minister of Environment and Hambardzum Matevosya, current Minister. The construction site referred to in the publication is not located within the Sevan National Park or in any area under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment of the RA; therefore, the Ministry had no authority or involvement in that process.
According to point 8(a) of part 4 of Article 12 of the Law On Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise, the total area of the mentioned residential building and swimming pool is not subject to environmental impact assessment and expert examination.
The above-mentioned facts clearly demonstrate that, at this crucial stage of preparation for the largest environmental event, COP17, such publications constitute information deliberately disseminated by certain circles with the aim of misleading the public and undermining both the domestic and international reputation of the environmental sector. We therefore urge our esteemed media partners to refrain from unfounded speculation.