“I remember one of our conversations with Ruben Vardanyan… It was probably July 2023. We were talking about our love for Artsakh, and do you know what he said? It is very deeply imprinted in my memory… He said: “I thought I had done a lot for my people, for my homeland. I think if one day my little son asks me: “Dad, why are you Armenian?” What I will say to him? I tried to answer the question and realized that I didn’t have an answer, because being Armenian is not about helping the homeland and financial support… That very day I made a decision to go to live in Artsakh, where my compatriots are in need”.
I think it’s interesting what benefit Ruben Vardanyan had in coming to Artsakh… When a person is self-sufficient, when both in financial issues and in the issue of recognition he has reached the top, he needs to rediscover himself, and by coming to Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan essentially solved this problem.
At first we had some doubts, but after 5-10 meetings, conversations, seeing what he does, we were convinced that the man feels his homeland, and this homeland felt him. Artsakh people began to love and appreciate what he had done, because when during the blockade many rich and empowered people did not live as a nation, Ruben Vardanyan was together with all of us. If there was no bread in the stores, it means that he had no bread either”.
“Ruben has always acted exclusively in the interests and for the benefit of the people of Artsakh and on his part has tried to do everything possible and even impossible for the people of Artsakh to continue to live peacefully in their millennia-old homeland. Before Ruben moved to Artsakh, I personally engaged in numerous discussions with him, as a result of which the decision to move to Artsakh became even stronger in him. Moving to Artsakh was his personal and conscious decision, as he was convinced that he needed to be with the people of Artsakh in this most difficult situation.
At the very least, I do not understand the position of the Prime Minister of Armenia regarding Ruben Vardanyan, a man who has done so much for Armenia, having made a huge contribution in terms of both investment of money and implementation of significant educational and infrastructural programs and projects that have made Armenia and the Armenian people known all over the world. Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian citizen, is currently illegally imprisoned in Baku. And if a citizen of a country finds himself in the prison of another country, and even more so illegally, and is held there in flagrant violation of all norms of international law, the first priority of that country is to release its citizen, and not to find all sorts of justifications why this is not being done”.
“Ruben Vardanyan lived and worked in Russia for many years, was engaged in charity work here and supported dozens of humanitarian projects. 11 months ago, Azerbaijani security forces seized the philanthropist while he was trying to enter Armenia from Artsakh and sent him to a pre-trial detention center on spurious charges. Armenia’s reaction (although, rather, its absence) is also surprising: it is as if official Yerevan does not notice the man who supported Armenians in NKR materially and morally during a difficult period for this country. During these 11 months, Armenia has not stood up for the social entrepreneur and has not actively supported him.
A logical question arises: why does not Russia stand up for the philanthropist in distress? Yes, it would be reasonable to remind Vardanyan that he once renounced his Russian citizenship. But this act had an important reason: the social entrepreneur gave up his Russian passport before moving to Artsakh in the midst of the military conflict. He did not want to involve Moscow in an already difficult situation.
The fact that his Russian educational and humanitarian projects continue to operate in our country also speaks in favor of the fact that Vardanyan did not sever ties with the Russian Federation. Despite the fact that their author and ideologist has already been in Baku’s prison for 11 months.
I am convinced that Vardanyan’s visionary and entrepreneurial talents could now be successfully used to normalize various conflicts and build strong interstate relations”.
“Ruben Vardanyan, an entrepreneur and philanthropist of Armenian origin, who made a name for himself here in Russia and implements (even from prison) humanitarian projects all over the world, including our country, has been imprisoned in an Azerbaijani prison for 11 months.
Yes, he formally renounced his Russian citizenship, but both then and even more so now it is obvious to everyone that he did so, first, in support of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who are drowning in the crisis of economic blockade. And secondly (which is more important for us than the first), by this refusal he saved Moscow from unnecessary speculations about the notorious Russian trace in the political life of the region. And Moscow, it must be said, did not become a participant in the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. And the victorious Azerbaijan captivated the ex-heads of the republic.
And what did Vardanyan get in return for his explicit and implicit loyalty?
As time passes, the Armenian authorities do not bother to release their prisoners, which suggests that they simply do not need philanthropists and political heavyweights of Vardanyan’s caliber when they are free.
Russia, on the contrary, needs them very much, and here is why.
During his years of work in the international arena, Vardanyan has built up an international business, implemented and continues to implement humanitarian and charitable projects. At the same time, he has retained ties with the Armenian diaspora and influential people who make decisions around the world. His international projects are naive and simple proof that he knows how to negotiate with people of different levels.
So, when Russia’s military success turns into economic one, we will vitally need businessmen and politicians who know how to work in an international (read: hostile) field. And to work effectively, that is, to show results and to establish, despite everything, mutually beneficial relations.
Life shows that people like Vardanyan can handle such difficult tasks in the interests of their Motherland. And it is his release that we should work on first of all”.
“Before moving to the disputed territory, Vardanyan had been living in our country for more than 20 years and invested a lot of effort and money in its development. It is no exaggeration to say that it was thanks to him that the institute of social entrepreneurship appeared in Russia. Vardanyan became the one of founders of the Skolkovo School of Management and dozens of humanitarian projects. By the way, all his Russian initiatives work today, and he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in April.
Vardanyan repeatedly called Russia a key partner of Armenia and pointed to the leading role of the Russian Federation in the peaceful settlement of the situation in the South Caucasus. In addition, he spoke with great respect about the work of Russian peacekeepers and stated the need for their presence in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Today, when, according to Sergei Lavrov, Russian-Armenian relations have entered a stage of half-disintegration, such people like Ruben Vardanyan are simply necessary on the political stage. And I hope that he will be able to go free in order to reassemble our historical union”.
“It is a rare phenomenon, but Vardanyan is really an unbiased politician who has always advocated friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Russia and Armenia.
Before moving to Nagorno-Karabakh, Vardanyan had lived and worked in the Russian Federation for many years: he was engaged in charity and supported educational projects, stood at the origins of the Skolkovo School of Management. His Russian projects continued their work even after the arrest of the philanthropist. Armenia is traditionally considered Russia’s main ally in Transcaucasia, but today the relations between the two countries can hardly be called friendly. Nevertheless, this is not a reason to ignore what is happening: while Yerevan is silent, former members of the NKR government are in the Baku pre-trial detention center, and among them is Vardanyan, who can assist in strengthening relations between Yerevan and Moscow”.
“How many of our people are in Baku prisons? Twenty? Thirty? Twenty-three?.. We don’t even know…
Armenia forgot about them, the world, peacekeepers, mediators, everybody forgot about them… And we, Armenians.
Just Armenians, very young and already very old. Ordinary people and those who were in power… Ruben Vardanyan. He stands out. Probably, because his story is special, one of those stories on the basis of which scripts are written…
What is their fault?
There is a fault. They are very guilty. They were unlucky – they were born Armenians. This was a crime.
Their names… Photos of our hostages, everyone, should hang on the streets of Yerevan. And in the center of the city, on the roof of the opera, for example, the counter would have to count days that they are in the Baku prison”.
“From the first days of its establishment, our foundation has been serviced by the best company for foundations @philinphilgood. I entrusted all audits, legal and financial issues to the strongest. The company was built by a great, decent, strong and intelligent Man – Ruben Vardanyan. I love the @noodomeclub space and have been proud to meet Veronika Feliksovna since 2020. He is wise and brave Man. He is a role model for me.
Below are Ruben Karlenovich’s words about the team and like-minded people. This is about you and me, guys) ❤️
“I never believed one person could change everything. Another thing is when he unites a number of like-minded people around an interesting idea, then unique projects are realized. All our projects – the international humanitarian initiative “Aurora”, projects in Armenia, Russia, for example, Philgood and Philin, the business school “Skolkovo” and the business club “Atlanta”, which we do together with Mikhail Voronin – are all about working together with many like-minded people.
Thanks to it, the environment and space are changing.
somewhere more, somewhere less,
somewhere on a large scale, somewhere locally”.
The main thing is that it is changing)
#мирунуженчеловек
#freeRubenVardanyan»
“We must constantly remind the world that torture and the length of incarceration have created conditions that threaten the lives of these people. And it cannot be that life in Armenia or among Armenians around the world simply continued as usual, while our people are doomed to unspeakable suffering, are behind bars and are tortured by the state, which has repeatedly demonstrated nothing more than intention to destroy the Armenian people. Indifference in these circumstances is unacceptable, since we should be the voice of our illegally detained compatriots, whose lives hang in the balance”.
“Ruben Vardanyan was captured when the Azerbaijani army was sent to Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In Nagorno-Karabakh, he tried to protect the local Armenian population from the coming violence. After a complete blockade lasting ten months, which deprived the local population of food, fuel and medical supplies, Azerbaijan is forcing more than 100,000 Armenians to leave their homes, leave their property and flee. Many called it genocide.
Ruben is an experienced and dedicated business executive. He has dedicated himself to a number of charitable causes, including schools, colleges, and the Aurora Prize, which honors individuals for their outstanding humanitarian work around the world (of which I am a Board Member).
Now the international community has got an opportunity to respond to the illegal arrest of Vardanyan, as well as other Armenian prisoners illegally detained in Baku. Just a year after the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan, in November this year, this country is preparing to host the UN Climate Change Summit COP29 in its capital Baku. These are the largest global climate talks this year.
MEPs have openly called for a boycott. A growing number of governments around the world are expressing dissatisfaction with Azerbaijan’s behavior. I sincerely hope that the newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will also join this growing “chorus” given his commitment to human rights. The UN should demand that Azerbaijan release all Armenian prisoners before the COP29 summit, as well as review the procedure for selecting host countries in the future.”
“In the last decade Ruben Vardanyan has stepped away from business and has been involved in philanthropy. His humanitarian projects are still working in many countries, including Russia. Vardanyan was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a humanitarian catastrophe in NKR. And for the fact that in times of crisis he sincerely wanted to help his people looks at least plausible. Some will find this position naive, but I believe that there are still enough ideological people in the world. Vardanyan is definitely one of them. He was the only wealthy Armenian who responded to my call to save Karabakh. He abandoned everything and came there. Hero. Freedom to Ruben!”
“Armenian-born Ruben Vardanyan has lived in Russia for a long time and has done a lot for our country. In recent years, he moved away from business and concentrated on charitable activities: the philanthropist developed humanitarian initiatives and, in fact, founded the Institute of Social Entrepreneurship in the Russian Federation.
His renunciation of Russian citizenship and his relocation to NKR caused perplexity to many. Although Vardanyan himself did not hide the reasons. His sole purpose was to help the people of NKR survive the war and blockade. And do it from the perspective not of an outsider, but of an insider.
Even after his departure, the philanthropist continued to participate in Russian projects and in fact remained a member of the society of Russia. Therefore, today his fate deserves at least the attention of the Russian authorities. And as a maximum – active participation at least in the form of publicity”.
“I like Ruben Vardanyan very much for a number of reasons. First of all, everything is clear to me, what a person does in life, his values, his deeds. But what brings me closest to Ruben is his philanthropy and his desire to spend his energies and funds for the development of our society in Russia, as well as in his homeland in Armenia. I know of very few such examples. Ruben is now going through a difficult and dangerous journey, I really hope these sacrifices are not in vain. I believe that he can make it. We look forward to seeing you and many more good and helpful things to come! God save you!”
“Ruben Vardanyan has proven himself to be an unabashed supporter of peace not only in our region, but also in the entire world. He is a world-renowned philanthropist, businessman and co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, which supports peace making, education and medical care for people around the world”.
“A man who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping people during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains in custody. Vardanyan prevented a humanitarian catastrophe in Karabakh by organizing many social projects in the region supporting the peaceful population.
Vardanyan’s letter, read by his wife at the Aurora award ceremony (Vardanyan is one of its founders), says: “I have decided to be together with those who need help and help them in any way I can. I’ve been completely isolated from the outside world for eight months now, and I have a lot of time to think. And I do not regret my choice at all”.
“Thousands of Armenians spoke about their readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Karabakh, but only a few did it. This is not a stone in the garden of those who did not move – most of them helped, supported and did what they could. Thank you. But Vardanyan came there. And stayed. It is hard to imagine that a financial grandmaster, who is able to calculate everything several steps ahead, did not consider a failure. He knew for sure where and why (and with whom) he was going. He took a risk, realizing that even if he wins, he will have to wait for champagne for a long time. To hell with champagne and black caviar, when in Stepanakert you live in a blockade: there is no light, no heat, no bread, no help either. Yerevan is somewhere far away, Moscow is even farther away. And here comes the special forces, all in black, handcuffs on hands, head in the floor, one hundred and twenty thousand Karabakh people have to go to Armenia, Vardanyan and several other NKR officials – to sunny Baku. Yerevan is “gracefully” silent. The public response oscilloscope is serenely calm, no spikes. What is happening with us Armenians? Or already happened?!”
“A couple of weeks ago I traveled again to my beloved Armenia with my son. We familiarized ourselves with the school in Dilijan, founded by Vardanyan, because it is the place where Misha would like to study (though it would not hurt to enroll there first). And there, in that school in Dilijan, I thought how cool it is when a person is far-sighted enough to create an international school on the territory of poor, half-destroyed Armenia. Students from all over the world come to this international school to get to know and love Armenia and Armenians, to soak in this culture, warmth and hospitality, and then return back to Uruguay, Brazil, Australia, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal, Egypt, Zimbabwe. Yes, believe it or not, there are students from all these countries studying in Dilijan and telling people about small, wonderful, sunny Armenia. This is how Ruben decided to popularize his country.
I also learned that in recent months he has found money to pay tuition in Dilijan for a dozen refugee children from Nagorno-Karabakh. Probably, if I had a seven-flowered flower today, I would spend one petal on returning freedom to Ruben Vardanyan”.
“In Russia, it is Ruben Vardanyan who is credited with creating the institute of social entrepreneurship. His charitable initiatives are known not only in Russia and Armenia, but all over the world. For example, one of Vardanyan’s projects in Russia is Philin Philgood, a service for professional philanthropy, which has won over 25 major industry awards. Since 2014, the company has helped a hundred Russian charitable foundations and NGOs to solve social problems. In addition, the philanthropist has donated large sums to the Dr. Lisa Foundation and consulted on management issues for other foundations, including “Gift of Life”.
In September 2022, Vardanyan moved to Nagorno-Karabakh, where he agreed to take the post of state minister of the unrecognized republic. However, he only stayed in this position for a few months. But while in public office, he continued his humanitarian work and was active in helping the locals. The territorial development agency “We are our Mountains” founded by him did everything to alleviate the hardships of war time and blockade for the Artsakh people”.
“Ruben Vardanyan is a graduate of Moscow State University, a talented businessman, and has been among the top richest people in Russia since 2011. At different times he has served on the boards of directors of major companies. He spent a lot of energy and money on charity and paid a lot of attention to helping Armenia.
A man who had everything in life risked everything for his beliefs.
Vardanyan’s appearance in the republic [Artsakh] has become an international news flashpoint: history knows few examples of billionaires exchanging their comfortable lives for an adventurous position in an unrecognized republic at war.
A unique oligarch of the entire post-Soviet space: having amassed a billion-dollar fortune, he did not have luxury yachts and huge houses, but went where he was in real danger. He didn’t leave until the very last. He stayed with the people. Unfortunately, our military was unable to prevent his arrest”.
“He is a peacemaker, a man of formidable scope and vision, amazing loyalty, kindness and generosity. All of Ruben’s activities have always been of a constructive creative nature. And of course, with this kind of activity by Ruben, the situation [Varadyan’s arrest] is not just absurd – it’s upsetting. As for the decision of the Nobel Committee [to nominate Ruben Vardanyan for the Nobel Peace Prize], it is absolutely deserved, thoughtful”.
“Vardanyan was one of the most famous figures of Artsakh and knew no fear. He was brave and spoke honestly. And this is always a big threat to genocidal regimes because they operate on the basis of propaganda rather than truth. Vardanyan spoke a harsh truth for Azerbaijan: the Artsakh people have the right to self-determination, which is accepted and must be recognized by international law. Moreover, Ruben Vardanyan has a global reputation in the field of humanitarian activities, he is respected at the global level”.
“Wherever and however many times I was there [in Armenia], I kept coming across stories about Vardanyan: ‘Have you been to Dilijan?’ Have you seen what international school Vardanyan has opened there?’ or ‘We are sitting in a restaurant, celebrating! They received the Aurora Prize, which Vardanyan established’. Vardanyan spent all his time in Stepanakert for the last couple of years and spent countless amounts of his own money to feed, treat, and support people who were soon to leave their homes and become refugees. In my opinion, at some point it became obvious to the whole world that the exodus of Armenians from these territories was inevitable, that there would be thousands of refugees. Vardanyan thought so too. But he stayed there with his people in a totally desperate situation and continued to help. Ruben Vardanyan is an incredible romantic, a man of donkikhot nobility, the pride of Armenians all over the world and, I think, the great pride of all mankind. And now, having committed no crime, Vardanyan sits in prison in Azerbaijan and is accused of financing terrorism, creating and participating in the activities of illegal armed groups. The fact that the world has gone mad is no news to anyone, but I keep thinking it’s treatable…”
“Ruben Vardanyan deliberately invested money in solving acute social problems, developing education, and supporting the preservation of cultural values. His projects include, for example, Philin Philgood, a company that facilitates the work of dozens of Russian charitable foundations and other NPOs. Vardanyan continued to be engaged in charity even in the post of the State Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, as for him the people he tried to help were always at the top of the list. Let’s hope that Baku will hear the voice of reason and agree with the calls for liberation, which are sounding louder and louder”.
“He was a philanthropist and humanitarian of international stature and is known for the decades of work he did with his family, done regardless of who the charitable programs were aimed at. The beneficiaries of his charitable programs have been from different nations and religions. We hoped that the Azerbaijani state should not have qualified Ruben Vardanyan as it happened. This was a big blow to the global humanitarian community. For this reason, this action has displeased all those concerned with humanity and human rights”.
“In his short term as the state minister [of Artsakh], Vardanyan had little time to accomplish anything. In all his interviews and statements he was tactful, not belligerent, did not promote any ideas of revanchism and spoke about Karabakh more from the point of view of the need to protect its Armenian population and heritage. I came to Stepanakert for the last time when Vardanyan had just been appointed. This was just weeks before the blockade and the closure of the Lachin corridor. Karabakh people have always been mistrustful of the aliens, and after losing the war they were even more withdrawn and gloomy. The last 40 years have taught them that people from the outside will turn out to be temporary at best, and at worst will abandon them at the worst possible moment, like the Soviet internal troops, like the Russian peacekeepers. Vardanyan’s arrival in Karabakh was viewed philosophically: “It can’t get any worse, but maybe he will succeed. And in those circumstances, as a state minister, nothing was expected of him. But Vardanyan made a breakthrough elsewhere. Probably never during the entire existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has any Karabakh politician – president or commander – been quoted by the world press as often as Vardanyan. He was a world-renowned speaker of a tiny region lost on the map. Apparently, this is what determined his place in Baku’s “black list”.
“He [Vardanyan] launched a lot of social and charitable projects. I’m telling a story he told himself. When his picture appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine, that’s when he and his wife [Veronica Zonabend] decided it was time to talk to their son, he was 14 years old. They sat him down across from them and said, “You see, we’re not leaving you this money. Because there are so many projects to do. That’s where we’re going to spend the money”. To which their son said an extremely clever line, “I get it. Just don’t leave me debts”.
“For the people of Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan is not just an official who held the post of state minister for some time, but a man whose devotion to his people was never doubted. During the worst times of the blockade, he saved from hunger those who could not survive on their own. He opened a free canteen and replenished the food reserve of the region. He organized cultural centers. He supported the elderly and children. The Azerbaijani authorities declared him a criminal for this activity and detained him on September 27 last year. It is not clear why Azerbaijan is stalling and for what geopolitical purposes it plans to use Vardanyan’s arrest. In any case, the most advantageous position now for the image of Aliyev and Azerbaijan is to pardon the former state minister. It will play much better for the country’s reputation on the world arena”.
“President Ilham Aliyev could initiate a series of reforms, bringing his country closer to international human rights standards. He could begin by heeding to international calls to release Armenian political prisoners currently being illegally detained, the most well-known being prominent businessman and humanitarian Ruben Vardanyan. President Aliyev would earn the respect and goodwill of the international community, and help Azerbaijan gain a greater status on the world stage, a goal it is desperate to reach.”
“We need to do everything to get him [Ruben] out [of the Baku prison]. He needs to be in Armenia. The currently captive presidents of Artsakh, they are citizens of Armenia. They, too, need to be in Armenia. It is an enormous tragedy for these people and their families. I wish their families and children the strength to endure and survive all that is happening.”
“Ruben Vardanyan is a powerful personality on an international level. He has helped the entire world. He came [to Nagorno-Karabakh] only with intentions to help, because the people of Karabakh had suffered a great deal.”
«ARMENIA NEEDS HELP. Just learned that my friend Ruben Vartanian is a prisoner in Azerbaijan. He had switched career from derivatives trader/philanthropist to leader of the Artzakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). He is not even treated as a prisoner of war, but as a “terrorist”».
“I want to address the state of Azerbaijan. The leaders of the Republic of Artsakh — Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkady Ghukasyan, Ruben Vardanyan — are in Azerbaijani prisons. But we haven’t seen them at all late-ly. I would like to see (not only me, but the entire Armenian people) some new footage showing the faces of Bako Sahakyan, Arkady Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and Ruben Vardanyan, how they live, how they are treated.”
“When Ruben Vardanyan came to Artsakh, we did not understand at first. Artsakh already had problems with accepting and understanding people after numerous betrayals. Even when he started talking about drastic changes and big plans, it was still unclear. But after a short time Ruben Vardanyan man-aged to show that he was one of us. Once, when we talked with him: me not as an MP and he not as a state minister, but instead me as a native of Yerevan and he as a non-native of Artsakh, and we still shared our feelings for the Motherland.
I said that sometimes I catch myself thinking that such feelings for Artsakh are abnormal, that I don’t know if it is love or concern. The land of Artsakh, its water, everything, even the dust rising on the side of the road — this degree of love is abnormal. He also spoke about his feelings.
He said that before moving to Artsakh, he always thought that if one day one of his children asked him why he was Armenian — what would he answer? And I realized that the feelings I experienced were very similar to his. And that many people feel the same. In other words, each of us has a struggle with self-fulfillment amid this chaotic situation created by the authorities. And yes, many people came to Artsakh to live and create, to save Artsakh in order to confirm their right to be worthy of this land.
Ruben Vardanyan is one of them. In a very short time, he showed that feelings for the Motherland are not in a comfortable living, not in luxury, feelings for the Motherland are in sharing its pain and suffering. This is the purpose of his life. He even bought a house in the village of Kolatak and lived there. He com-muted to Stepanakert every day until the fuel problem worsened. During this time, he implemented many programs to make people’s life easier under siege.”
“The nine months of the blockade were the most important indicator, which, like a bare nerve, showed who is who. Even today I can think of 100 people ready to devote the rest of their lives to the mission of restoring Armenia and reviving the Armenian world.
Justice demands that this row begin with the “prison twin cities” — Ruben Vardanyan (Baku), Armen Ashotyan (Yerevan). It’s time to ask ourselves what our state is about, how we see it, and what we expect from ourselves. We need to continue the list of missionaries’ names — let others add more names, and we must keep moving forward.”
“The tragedy continues to unfold in Armenia. Azerbaijan is guilty of arbitrarily detaining former Artsakh officials and destroying the Armenian heritage on this territory.
Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, as well as with the 100,000 refugees and political prisoners held by Azerbaijan. On December 10, in cele-bration of the International Human Rights Day, I will grant honorary citizen-ship of Paris to the representatives of Artsakh Armenians.
Paris also calls for the immediate release of all Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan.”
“I’m still trying to understand why numerous Armenian prisoners are being held in Azerbaijan. The European Union demands that we start peace negotia-tions by the end of this year, but how can peace be established when people are still being illegally held in Azerbaijan, including Ruben Vardanyan, David Babayan, David Manukyan, David Ishkhanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, former presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan…
My question is addressed to the EU and other organizations that make useless demands without studying all the nuances, ignoring the illegal seizure of Arme-nian lands and detention of Armenians by Azerbaijanis. To start negotiations, first, begin with the release of all captured Armenians.”
“A well-known philanthropist who devoted his life to humanitarian and cul-tural projects, former state minister of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan, was de-tained exactly one month ago.
The Armenian Assembly condemns the illegal abduction of Ruben Vardanyan by Azerbaijan at an illegal checkpoint in the Lachin corridor on September 27.
There charges faced are absurd and the prominent philanthropist is now look-ing at up to 14 years in prison.
Ruben Vardanyan’s humanitarian contributions are invaluable for the Armeni-an and international community.
He abandoned his everyday life and travelled to Artsakh to facilitate its devel-opment and share all hardships of the blockade and war with residents of the republic. Ruben Vardanyan was determined to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
We believe that justice will prevail, that Ruben Vardanyan will be free and re-turn to his family soon!”
“Ruben, we remember you. At present, my main goal is assisting in the release of Ruben Vardanyan and other political prisoners in Azerbaijan.”
