VIDEO: I Didn't Want to Be the Person Who Harms the People of Artsakh - Hraparak

In recent days, rumors have circulated that Ruben Vardanyan has left Artsakh. A journalist from Hraparak.am interviewed Ruben Vardanyan in Stepanakert.

Below is an excerpt from the news agency's interview:

"- There are rumors in Armenia that you have left Artsakh due to health problems. Why are such rumors spreading, and how is your health?
- I feel good. There is a good saying among Russians: Не дождётесь (You won't wait). It seems to me that this spreads panic and fear among people so that they will be scared and leave. Let them not hope. They have been trying to kill hope for 2.5 years to make us despair here; it will not happen, and I say this with confidence because I know the people of Artsakh, breaking their internal strength into dust will not succeed.

Secondly, what does it mean to leave or not leave Artsakh? I do what I consider important: the first is to unite our society inside; the second is that the friends of Artsakh should know what is happening. If necessary, I will go, if necessary, I will come back, but I am here because I believe that my presence here is important. And those rumors are spread to make people not believe anyone. I want to tell the people of Artsakh: know one thing—Ruben has shortcomings, different things that people may or may not like, but one thing I have is that my strength is in my words; if I have said something, I do it. That’s how I live and will live until the end of my life.

- When you were the State Minister, there were rumors that the corridor was closed because of your position, and such rumors were even circulated by the governmental circles in Armenia, even some MPs made statements... You were removed from the position, but neither did the road open, nor did the blockade end, nor do we have gas now.
- I know one thing: the truth always wins, the truth always comes to the surface, because people see. Unfortunately, it takes a long time, but the truth will be revealed. All those conspiratorial ideas that Mr. Vardanyan will come out, we will have everything, were targeted. Of course, Azerbaijan felt that people in that cold of December united in this square and said we are fighting, we will not leave, we will not submit. That idea was very important, and that idea gives strength. That strength is very important in this struggle, and without it, we cannot do anything, no matter how much weaponry and money we have. The goal was to poison and weaken our spirit in every way. Who knows, perhaps they are in contact with Azerbaijanis, where do they get that information from? I don’t know because I was confident, and in my last speech, I said that I disagreed with that decision because I wanted to remain State Minister, because I knew that all of this would not materialize, that they would have gas, that they would have light if Ruben came out. I knew that and told the president, and I said it openly. I am saying again: it was not a matter of position; it was a matter of our negotiation strategy, of our ideas of what we want. On the other hand, of course, I understood that the president had the right; second, I did not want to become the person who harms the people of Artsakh.

- During your time as State Minister, allegations were made, for example, you were accused of worsening relations between Armenia and Artsakh, you were accused of being categorical and rejecting the necessity for negotiations with Azerbaijan; some viewed you as a person sent by Russia, while others believed that Russia was not supporting you. Do you see any mistakes in your words or actions? Are there things you should have done as State Minister but didn’t?
- There were two different questions. First, let me say that I assumed office on November 4, and I had been saying since October that we were expecting a very harsh winter, that Azerbaijan would pressure us. By December, we were already under blockade, and we faced our issues; it was a very acute situation, and we made many decisions, not all of which were correct. In general, I am very thankful to all the members of the government, the National Assembly, and those people who worked in the operational headquarters that we managed to maintain that situation without leading to a significant crisis. But there were mistakes; that’s normal. Regarding negotiations, I have always said that I am the person who has held thousands of negotiations in my life, but for negotiations to happen, it is very important that both sides recognize each other. If we have completely different opinions, we say we are parties to the negotiation, while Azerbaijan says you are not a party; you are individuals, we do not recognize what Artsakh is; as a state, we do not accept you, and they said that this would not happen.

For negotiations to occur, the other side must recognize us as a party; for that, we must clearly state our position, say that we are here, you are there, we are very far from each other, but let’s sit down and talk. If they do not accept us, then there cannot be a negotiation; they say you must submit to us. I came and said we will not submit because that is unacceptable. The people of Artsakh will not submit to Azerbaijan, and that’s it. Are we ready for negotiations? Yes, we are ready; we are ready to understand whether we can live side by side without submission, but those are different negotiations."