Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the plan of a local businessman to erect a huge statue of Jesus Christ atop Mt. Hatis.

The Academy’s Institute of Geological Sciences, in a statement released today, says the Armenian government, in 2008, recognized the extinct Hatis volcano as a geological monument where any construction work must be preceded by a detailed engineering-geological survey. Seismic risk assessments must also be conducted in the case of large structures.

The institute says that such surveys must be conducted at Mt. Hatis and the findings made public.

Responding to public concerns regarding his plan to erect a 33-meter tall statue of Jesus Christ atop Mt. Hatis, some thirty kilometers northeast of Yerevan, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan said he'll wait to receive all necessary permits before proceeding with any construction.