In addition to that, below is from the ann dt., 26th June...

In addition to that, below is from the ann dt., 26th June 2019

"NMDC's apparent unwillingness to pursue the project is, from ECT's perspective, new and unexpected"

For ECT to say that there must have been some conversation in regards to unwillingness formally or informally for ECT to make the statement.
Yes "apparent" is a word that could suggest an assumption.

However, it is a strong statement compared to the rest of statements in the announcement suggesting ECT forming a reasonable opinion that NMDC will not proceed with the project.