US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1066

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001066 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, OES, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, SENV, AM 
SUBJECT:  CIVIC ACTION MAY RE-ROUTE CONTROVERSIAL TRANS- 
SHIKAGOGH HIGHWAY PROJECT 
 
 
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified.  Treat Accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) The Ministry of Transport and Communication 
announced plans earlier this spring to construct a 
highway that some NGOs claim would destroy one of the 
last remaining forest reserves in Armenia.  An 
organized civic campaign against the plan has spurred 
rumors that the GOAM is possibly re-considering the 
controversial highway project.  In response to early 
criticism, the GOAM cited "strategic" reasons for 
choosing the particular route, noting its proximity to 
Azerbaijan.  Early reports indicated that GOAM 
officials at the highest levels were in support of the 
project. 
 
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NGOS RAISE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS 
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3. (SBU) The Ministry of Transport and Communication 
announced plans to construct a highway in the southern 
part of the country to circumvent the problematic, 
often impassable Karajan pass.  NGOs decried the 
decision, saying the project would destroy one of the 
last remaining forest reserves, increase pollution, 
damage wildlife, and attract illegal logging.  The 
World Wildlife Federation and United Nations site the 
Shikahogh Reserve, established in 1958, as home to many 
rare and endangered plant and animal species, including 
the country's only 5-7 rare Persian leopards. 
According to the NGOs, the Shikahogh Reserve is the 
only virgin oak forest area in Armenia. 
 
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CRITICS CITE POLITICAL PROBLEMS 
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4. (SBU) Jeffrey Tufenkian of the Armenian Forests NGO 
asserts that, in addition to environmental degradation, 
the highway project violates numerous national and 
international nature protection laws.  They claim the 
project would also violate the Convention on 
Biodiversity (1992), the Convention on Combating 
Desertification (1994), and the Convention on Access to 
Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making, 
and Justice in Environmental Matter (1998).  An 
unprecedented letter writing campaign organized May 20- 
25 by NGOs (and high-profile Diasporans) reportedly 
targeted President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister 
Andranik Margaryan and Prosecutor General Aghvan 
Hovsepyan. 
 
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MINISTER THREATENS TO RESIGN 
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5. (SBU) A loose coalition of NGOs approached 
international donors (including the USG) in protest 
over the project.  The group has hosted a series of 
meetings in Yerevan and the outlying regions to attract 
attention to the issue.  According to these NGOs, GOAM 
officials were using the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh 
and citing "security considerations" as a way to scare 
officials in the Ministry of Nature Protection into 
lobbying to change the status of the reserve so that it 
could be more easily accessed for the highway project. 
In early June, Minister of Nature Protection Vardan 
Ayvazyan (a close ally of both the Prime Minister and 
Defense Minister) surprised observers during a meeting 
with environmental NGOs by suggesting he would resign 
unless the GOAM reversed its decision on the project. 
While there was little formal reaction from the GOAM to 
Ayvazyan's comments, the NGO community welcomed the 
move as a brave act of dissent. 
 
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CHANGING COURSE ON THE PROJECT? 
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5. (SBU) Recent press reports suggest that these NGOs' 
efforts may be having some effect as GOAM officials are 
now allegedly "studying" two alternate routes for the 
project.  While the Transport and Communication 
Ministry has not confirmed they are looking at an 
alternate route, rumors in a local daily said June 15 
that the government had given into internal and 
external pressure and had decided to change the route 
of the highway.  Comments made by both the Minster of 
Transport and Minister of nature Protection during a 
June 17 public forum appeared to confirm these rumors. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6. (SBU) When coupled with the efforts of student 
groups last year that ended in reforms to the GOAM's 
law on the draft, civic groups are beginning to gain 
influence on some policy issues in Armenia.  While the 
environmental and economic aspects of the proposed 
project are important, we think the continuing trend 
towards responsiveness of the government to concerns 
raised by civil society is particularly noteworthy. 
EVANS