Removing me from office was a wrong decision: Ruben Vardanyan

I never thought that my name would be discussed in the UN Security Council or the European Parliament. But Azerbaijan tried to personalize the situation created in Artsakh as much as possible.

This was stated by Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh, in an interview with the public television of Artsakh, responding to a question about whether there was external pressure, particularly from Azerbaijan, regarding his removal from office.

“Probably, several events took place here. The first was that the arrival of such a person in Artsakh was quite unexpected, and it triggered the circulation of conspiracy theories. No one could imagine that a person could be patriotic and come to his country, love and be concerned about everything that is happening in Artsakh. And it is interesting to see how people still live in this realm of conspiracy theories,” he said.

Addressing the factor of Azerbaijan, Vardanyan recalled that just last summer, Azerbaijan claimed that it would not negotiate with the Armenians. “Now six months have passed, and they say they are ready to negotiate, not with Vardanyan, but with a representative of the Armenian population of Artsakh. I believe that my visit led to a sharp increase in the public awareness of Artsakh. The blockade, everything combined brought that about,” he said.

Vardanyan noted that the purpose of his arrival was to bring the dialogue between Artsakh and Azerbaijan onto a normal track, but it turned into rejection. “Well, that is their decision,” he added.

Commenting on his removal, Vardanyan stated that he believes it was a wrong decision. “If I helped with my actions, that’s great. If I was hindering, I should go. That is the president's decision,” he said.