Solaris Resources response to allegations by the Shuar Arutam People Association
...Solaris has not made any public disclosure or taken any actions in connection with the allegation made by Ms. Josefina Tunki, PSHA’s President, against Mr. Federico Velásquez, Solaris’ VP Operations. The Sucúa Criminal Prosecutor Office’s is conducting an inquiry into the complaint (as set out in more detail herein). Solaris is not involved in the inquiry. Following due process and upon resolution of the proceedings, Mr. Velásquez’s testimony will be made publicly available...
Solaris maintains a positive working relationship with Warints and Yawi that has been built between the parties through a process of reconciliation, collaboration and association. Moreover, on January 23, 2019, Solaris and the Shuar Centres of Warints and Yawi entered into a memorandum of understanding at the Community House in Warints, with PSHA and the Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources signing the memorandum as witnesses. In addition, on July 28, 2020, Solaris and the Shuar Centres of Warints and Yawi signed an Impact and Benefits Agreement with support of majority votes (92%) of the Warints and Yawi Centres...
For context, it is critically important to understand that the Allegations have been made without consulting the communities of Warints and Yawi, without consideration of these communities’ rights to self-determination and without consideration of these communities’ voluntary choice to work with Solaris...
Mr. Federico Velásquez, Solaris’ VP Operations has never threatened Ms. Josefina Tunki...
The Strategic Alliance was established in accordance with Article 57, Section 9 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, the process of reconciliation, and dialogue in Warints and Yawi led by PSHA at the time, carried out based on principles of legitimacy and representativeness, fully respecting the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, in both preserving and developing Indigenous forms of coexistence and social organization, generation and exercise of authority in their legally recognized communally held territories of ancestral possession...
The Warintza Project is in the early exploration stage...
Solaris has not requested any kind of police or military activity on its concessions...
Solaris has always respected the communities’ organization structures and works with the approval of Warints and Yawi, who have made their decisions in a legitimate and democratic way CANADA • MEXICO • ECUADOR • PERU • CHILE through General Assemblies, their highest governing body...
Solaris does not own the machinery in question nor was it intended for the use of company activities...