Turkish environmentalists say Canadian firm lying about legality of its operations in Kaz Mountains

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A Turkish environmental group defending the western Kaz Mountains has said that the Canadian gold mining company was lying about the legality of its operations in the area, and that it was in fact no longer allowed to be there. 

The general director for Canadian Alamos Gold's subsidiary Doğu Biga Mining recently said that the company had been waiting for 30 years to operate in Kaz Mountains, and that it would wait a couple more months.

“Our mine has waited for 30 million years and we have been waiting for 30 years to open the mine. We would wait three-five months more, it is not a problem,” CEO Ahmet Şentürk told Deutsche Welle on March 29.

Alamos Gold has only held the rights to the gold mine in question since 2009, and its permit expired on Oct. 12, 2019, the environmental group Kaz Mountain Natural and Cultural Heritage Preservation Foundation said in a statement on March 30. 

"The narrative that they've been waiting 30 years to open this mine is not true. Mining law says that company's rights to resources are over one month after the expiration of its license," the environmental organization noted. 

The CEO had claimed that although the government has not yet renewed Alamos Gold's license upon its expiration in 2019, the firm holds the right to a 60-year license.

The environmentalists also noted that Alamos Gold butchered 350,000 trees in the forest, and called for the immediate rehabilitation of the area. 

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