VIDEO: Pressure Must Be Applied to Open an Air Corridor to Artsakh – Ruben Vardanyan's Interview with Swiss Impact with Banerjis

Public-political figure, coordinator of the "Artsakh Security and Development Front" public movement and co-founder of the "We Are Our Mountains" territorial development agency, Ruben Vardanyan gave an interview to the Swiss influential program Swiss Impact with Banerjis. Vardanyan presented the dire situation in Artsakh resulting from the Azerbaijani blockade and the deepening humanitarian crisis. He also spoke about the social, infrastructural, and educational programs being implemented in Artsakh by the "We Are Our Mountains" agency and the importance of supporting these initiatives, stating that every effort is made to continue these programs despite the obstacles arising from the blockade.

He emphasized the necessity for the international community to be informed about what is happening in Artsakh and to apply pressure on governments to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

Ruben Vardanyan: “Unfortunately, for the past seven months, we have had no food, no electricity, no gas in Artsakh. Everything is restricted to our internal resources. Until June 15, Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross were allowed to bring some medicine and humanitarian aid to Artsakh, but after that, that route was completely blocked, and now we are under a total blockade. No one can move, and no one can obtain anything from anywhere; we rely solely on our internal resources, which is how people remain alive, but this is indeed an extremely dangerous situation.”

Svetlana Banerji: “This is truly madness. How can all this happen in the 21st century? It is unbelievable to hear such stories still occurring.”

Ben Banerji: “We don’t even hear about this in news broadcasts, from Western media.”

Ruben Vardanyan: “Unfortunately, this is the truth. Despite the fact that the International Court of Justice has made a clear ruling to compel Azerbaijan to open the corridor, we live in a world where the decisions of the highest-level international organizations can be ignored. I am astonished, but the humanitarian world is also ignoring this situation. We have no opportunity to receive assistance. We propose to open an air corridor, which would enable organizations to deliver certain humanitarian aid to us, as we do have an airport. We believe this is just one of the solutions we can ask from the world, especially from Switzerland or elsewhere, where humanitarian cargo can come and provide food to people. Currently, there are 120,000 people in Artsakh, including 30,000 children and 20,000 elderly. I reiterate, what is happening is madness, and unfortunately, the world is turning a blind eye to this.”

Ben Banerji: “For instance, how can a European or Swiss citizen come to Artsakh? Can they come through Armenia, Yerevan, or Azerbaijan? How?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “You can’t. Artsakh is completely blocked. You can come to Armenia, approach the border, but you cannot enter Artsakh now. Unfortunately, Artsakh is under a total blockade.”

Svetlana Banerji: “It’s insane. Are there currently any diplomatic discussions regarding peace, or is everything simply at a dead end? Is anyone trying to bring peace back to this region?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “Recently, there have been meetings in Brussels between European Council President Charles Michel and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Several meetings have also taken place in Moscow, occurring in parallel. Unfortunately, neither of these discussions have yielded solutions. There is too much fake rhetoric from Azerbaijan. For example, Azerbaijan has offered humanitarian aid, and we have said: ‘No way. We do not trust you.’ We know that it is impossible to receive assistance from people who continually declare their intention to kill Armenians.”

Ben Banerji: “It is clear that there is a blockade of people, but what about goods? Can we, for example, send parcels or other items by post? Or is that also blocked?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “Everything is blocked. You cannot send anything. Until June 15, it was possible. It could be done through the Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross; at that time, it was possible to receive supplies. Now we are completely blocked. The Azerbaijani government has completely closed the road that connected Artsakh to Armenia. As I said, unfortunately, we now have a situation that is much more complicated than before, as we cannot obtain anything from the outside world, which is why I said we need to establish a humanitarian air bridge assistance program. I hope that many people are listening to your program, which is widely known among social impact investors, and we need to exert pressure on international organizations and governments to say that children need food, they have the right to live. No one has the right to stop fulfilling the basic needs of people who are innocent and ordinary.”

Svetlana Banerji: “I admire you for being in Artsakh. I am sure that if you wanted, you could be anywhere in the world. So, why are you there? What is the reason?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “Last year, the crisis was already visible, as Azerbaijan was gradually applying the ‘salami’ strategy and increasingly creating more and more problems. I could certainly be in a completely different place – in the USA, Europe, Russia. But I realized that I had to make a choice: To decide whether to be with your nation? Are you with your homeland and the country you belong to, or not? This is a difficult decision, as there are many challenges, issues, projects, and plans. But then you ask yourself: what is more important for you – your personal life or your willingness to do something for your own people? And you know, the choice is not easy, but it is normal; as I said, there is nothing heroic about it. It’s just that when the time comes, each person must make a decision about what is important to them. And for me, it was important to stay next to my people and also convey the feeling that they are not alone. This was very important. My move to Artsakh was very well received; many people did not even know who I was, but they felt they were not alone, that someone had come to stay with them. This was symbolic, but I am not alone in this. Hundreds of people have told me that they also want to move here to Artsakh once the road is open. I think this is part of normal behavior.”

Svetlana Banerji: “So what keeps you there? What’s your vision? How is this going to be solved? What do you believe? How can it be resolved? What needs to be done?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “You know, I believe that when you are strong inside, when you feel that you have the right to protect your own home, your right to live on your land, when you unite people who, despite all difficulties, say that they will not surrender and will not live under Azerbaijani authority, under a regime that will come and devastate our lands, destroy our monasteries, our cultural heritage, when you value the energy within your society, you truly believe that the world will be more interested in what is happening here. This has been repeated many times in history, when, for instance, very small countries fight like David against Goliath. Sometimes they really have no chance of winning, but you can gain such energy within the society that can also help people living outside, for example, in Armenia, the Armenian diaspora, or around the world, to say that these people deserve respect, these people need protection, these people need support because we are behaving correctly; we are loyal to our identity and treat with respect.”

This is very important – to maintain your identity, who you are. That’s why I believe that once we can convey this message, once we have the opportunity to share with the world our desire to fight for our rights to live in our own country, we will receive more support from people. This is important because sometimes, when everything seems so bad and unbelievable, you look inside yourself, see your strong faith, your love for your own country and people, and you take responsibility. Thousands of people have died in the wars over the past 30 years. We owe this generation. People see that despite all the challenges, we have kept Artsakh Armenian, and that’s why we must fulfill this obligation; we must instill in the next generation a sense of responsibility to keep Artsakh Armenian.

Look, in Azerbaijan, the country has been ruled by one family for 44 years. It’s an authoritarian regime, not democracy. Oil and gas are substantial cash flows, but it is not sustainable to really form a sustainable society. We are living in a very crazy era. That’s why, as long as we keep strong, I am confident that we will receive support from other peoples and other countries.”

Svetlana Banerji: “How can our audience support you? Should all this be spread, and how can they help you?”

Ruben Vardanyan: “As I said, first of all, do not be indifferent. Do not think that this is just a minor, small conflict compared to other issues facing the world. Not being indifferent also means speaking out that this is unacceptable. Any European government, all other countries must understand that this is not a minor conflict. This is a conflict that truly threatens a unique nation that has been living here for hundreds of years, that contains a huge heritage of Christian, cultural, and whose annihilation will be another very painful page in the history of world development. Therefore, speaking out will be very important; pressure must be applied on governments to say that they must fulfill their obligations. You must do what you can.

The second is the creation of a humanitarian air corridor, which can truly become very important if social impact investors, social benefactors can create a special air route; then it will be extremely important, and it needs to be done immediately.

The third thing is that despite all the challenges we are facing, we would be happy to think about some projects, to build something together, to do something in education, IT, and also try to share our own experiences, our knowledge, as well as, for example, how to survive in the present environment.

Ben Banerji: “If you can, please share your call to action message with our global audience as well.”

Ruben Vardanyan: “I just want to emphasize once again that 120,000 people, including 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly, and thousands of pregnant women are currently under complete blockade. We have no food, no electricity, no gas coming from the outside world. We cannot help our patients with serious health problems to be transferred to hospitals. We have no road, we have no access to Armenia. I want to ask all of you not to be indifferent. This is not just the life of 120,000 people. This is the life of people who simply want to live in their own homeland, in their own country, who want to have the right to live where they have been for thousands of years. Let’s put pressure on all governments and all organizations in Europe, the USA, Russia, and elsewhere to act, to not ignore this conflict that could destroy one of the world’s oldest Christian settlements and annihilate a nation’s heritage that has lived and continues to live on this land for millennia.”