“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”.