“Ruben Vardanyan was first on the list of those I planned to interview when I moved to Moscow in 2004 to live, work and look after the health of my son, who was young at the time.

It was both my desire to get to know a businessman who was unusual by Moscow standards, and an editorial assignment.

I had neither common acquaintances with Ruben nor his phone number. But I found in the Moscow news announcement a conference where he was supposed to speak, and I went there.

He was the most accessible to journalists of all Russian businessmen.

The first time we met, we talked for over an hour and agreed to become friends.

The first time we met, I was surprised by his enthusiasm.

He would throw himself into any project he did and infect everyone around him with his ideas.

This is how the school in Dilijan was built, this is how Wings of Tatev was built, this is how he created Aurora. “It’s time for us to stop expecting mercy from the world. It’s time for us to give this mercy.”

And Ruben is also a very plain man. One day, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was supposed to speak at the Armenian Embassy in Moscow. The solemn hall of the Embassy was ready, all the seats in the hall were occupied, the Prime Minister did not start his speech: they were waiting for Ruben Vardanyan. He was a little late and was escorted to his front row seat. Ruben sat down and the Prime Minister began to speak. And Ruben suddenly saw me standing by the aisle. All the seats in the audience were taken. And he stood up, came up to me and offered me his seat. Of course, I didn’t sit down. And so we stood together and listened to the Prime Minister, who wanted to convince those gathered that everything in Armenia is not as bad as the press writes…

One day, just a couple months after the 2018 revolution, I asked Ruben what was bothering him so much. His answer stunned me. I don’t remember the exact words, but the meaning was as follows: I have the impression that they are “squeezing” our Motherland out of us, doing everything to make us stop loving it. It won’t work, of course, but the process itself is very nasty and painful.

Ruben-jan, please hold on. You have no idea how much we need you! Hold on, please!”