TORONTO, June 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lydian International Limited (TSX:LYD) (“Lydian” or the “Company”) announced intermittent road blockages near its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project that have impacted recent construction activities.
Following the change in the government of Armenia last month, demonstrations and road blockades have occurred sporadically throughout the country. These protests primarily targeted the mining sector, including the Amulsar project. During the past five weeks, access to Amulsar has been blocked for a total of 14 days.
In a public response to the protests in May and June 2018, the government reiterated its support for responsible and environmentally compliant mining in the country and asked protestors to unblock access roads to the Amulsar project and other mining companies. The government also declared its commitment to undertake environmental compliance audits of the mining industry. Lydian welcomes this initiative and has encouraged the government to audit the Amulsar project at its earliest convenience.
More recently, Prime Minister Pashinyan made a public appeal, instructing the protesters to discontinue the road blockages, recognizing they were intended to discredit the government and not directed at Lydian. Management is in consultation with local and national government officials to resolve this issue.
João Carrêlo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lydian, stated, “We are encouraged by the Prime Minister’s responses and seek a prompt and permanent resolution. We continue our commitment to sustainable development and to the health and safety of our employees, communities, and the environment. We encourage open and transparent dialogue and will continue to foster respectful and productive relationships with all of our stakeholders.”
Lydian is in ongoing communication with the government and acknowledges the government’s commitment to the mining industry and the promotion of foreign investment in Armenia. Amulsar is an important economic contributor to the country of Armenia and to the livelihoods of our employees, contractors and host communities.
About Lydian International Limited
Lydian is a gold developer focusing on construction at its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. Amulsar will be a large-scale, low-cost operation with production expected to commence in Q4 2018, with ramp-up continuing into 2019. Gold production is targeted to average approximately 225,000 ounces annually over an initial 10-year mine life, making Lydian one of the largest gold producers to emerge during 2018. Open pit mining and conventional heap leach processing contribute to excellent scale and economic potential. Estimated mineral resources contain 3.5 million measured and indicated gold ounces and 1.3 million inferred gold ounces as outlined in the Q1 2017 Technical Report. Existing mineral resources beyond current reserves and open extensions provide opportunities to improve average annual production and extend the mine life. Lydian is committed to good international industry practices in all aspects of its operations including production, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. For more information and to directly contact us, please visit www.lydianinternational.co.uk.
| For further information, please contact: | |
| Doug Tobler, Chief Financial Officer | Pamela Solly, Vice President of Investor Relations |
| +1 720-307-5087 | +1 720-464-5649 |
Or: moreinfo@Lydianinternational.co.uk
Caution regarding forward-looking information
There can be no assurances as to the timing, magnitude or impact of future protests or blockades affecting Amulsar, if any, or the success of the Company’s ongoing attempts to mitigate such risks. The Company does not intend to comment further upon protests, blockades or similar disruptions unless required by law, it deems further disclosure is appropriate, or where appropriate in the context of its normal course disclosure on construction, operational and financial matters. The Company makes reference to the risk factors outlined in section 4.2 of its most recent Annual Information Form, dated March 28, 2018, including risk factor disclosure under the headings “Single Property Focus”, “Community and Social” and “Foreign Operations”.
Certain information contained in this news release is “forward looking”. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “intends”, “anticipates” or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “will”, “would”, “should”, or “occur” or the negative or other variations of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: the realization of mineral resource estimates and the timing of development of the Amulsar Gold Project, including the expected start date of gold production; the expected and estimated cost of operations and capital costs at the Amulsar Gold Project; the current Amulsar Gold Project construction schedule, the commitment to and implementation of good international industry practices; the expected gold production from, and life of mine of, the Amulsar Gold Project; the formation of the Armenian Government; the impact of management in relation to the Company’s strategic growth objectives; the magnitude or impact of historical and future (if any) protests or blockades affecting Amulsar and the success of the Company’s ongoing attempts to mitigate such risks; the response of the Armenian government to future (if any) protests or blockades affecting Amulsar; the impact of protests, blockades or similar disruptions on the Company’s construction, operations and financial performance; and the expected mining methods at the Amulsar Gold Project. Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered when the property is developed.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, without limitation: changes in gold and silver prices; adverse general economic, market or business conditions; failure to achieve the objectives of the future exploration and drilling programs; regulatory changes; as well as "Risk Factors" included in the disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.