Operations at northern Turkish gold mine suspended

KONYA, Turkey

A disputed gold mining project in northeastern Turkey is to be shelved pending a court decision, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday.

The announcement follows days of protests at Cerattepe, a forested, mountainous area in Artvin province, against a mining project led by Eti Bakir Inc.

Davutoglu said activity at the site would be suspended until a court rules on a lawsuit filed by the Green Artvin Association.

“First, the mine in Cerattepe will halt its activities until the lawsuit is concluded,” the prime minister said at an opening ceremony in Konya province following a meeting with the association members in Ankara. “All will respect the court decision as state law requires.”

Davutoglu also said demonstrators would refrain from further “illegal protests in order to prevent certain abuses”. Locals have protested against the mine since June over fears the operation will spoil the area’s natural beauty but in recent days the protests have escalated.

“We are determined to protect our underground and above ground treasures and serve our people,” Davutoglu said. “The metal that will be extracted from the closed pit will not be subjected to in-situ processing but will be transferred and processed in another place so as not to harm the treasures of Cerattepe.”

He added that extracted material would be taken from the site by cable car rather than by road to reduce the need to fell trees.

According to Eti Bakir, 3,500 trees will be cut down to accommodate the project.

Following the two-hour meeting with Davutoglu, Artvin politicians and representatives of the Green Artvin Association also meet Environment Minister Fatma Guldemet Sari, Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and Agriculture Minister Faruk Celik.