“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.”