Ruben Vardanyan on the Situation in Artsakh

The former Prime Minister of Artsakh, public and political figure Ruben Vardanyan gave an interview from Stepanakert to the French television channel France24, presenting the ongoing situation in Artsakh.

France24: Mr. Vardanyan, what is the situation like there where you are? Yesterday we saw images of people getting out of the trucks, where there was a state of anxiety and confusion. What is the situation today?

Ruben Vardanyan: The situation is very severe. Women, children, the entire population is in danger. There has been no electricity for the last four days. Tens of thousands of people are left in the streets, at the airport, because they have been forced to leave their homes. Children are not receiving proper food. There is no heating, no fuel. On top of all this, people are in depression; after 30 years of living independently in their country, everything has been destroyed, and people are extremely worried about their future.

France24: Azerbaijan says it is sending food, fuel, and aid convoys to Nagorno-Karabakh. Can you confirm that?

Ruben Vardanyan: No, I cannot confirm that, and, by the way, it should be understood that we have been under blockade for ten months, so one or two trucks cannot possibly help, because previously—before the blockade—about 400 trucks entered and exited Artsakh every day. And now, these one or two trucks can provide very minimal assistance because there are 120,000 people here, including 30,000 children. There are many injured, many people are missing and cannot be found, and one or two trucks are just insignificant.

France24: What can you say about the local population and yourself? Do you feel abandoned by the officials in Yerevan?

Ruben Vardanyan: I feel abandoned by the officials in Yerevan and by the officials of the world, and I will be very frank. All international leaders are applying double standards and accept a country where there is no democracy, where there is a dictatorial regime that has been ruled by one family for 44 years, where the human rights of their own people are violated, and now they are supposed to ensure certain rights and security for people of another nationality, with whom we have been at war for 30 years, during which many people have died. Now who will ensure the rights of those people, who have never been part of Azerbaijan, who do not speak Azerbaijani? Again, how will this process happen? Let me remind you that a few years ago the person who murdered the sleeping Armenian soldier in Budapest returned to Azerbaijan and became a hero. Again, I emphasize that people do not realize, and it seems that some are playing a game, and this is a dirty game at the cost of the lives of 120,000 people. And the Armenian authorities, along with other major international players, simply state, 'Well, don't worry, everything will be fine. You can live here. Everything is okay.'

France24: During the last war in 2020, Russian peacekeepers came after a ceasefire agreement reached through Moscow's mediation. From the information we have, we can conclude that Russian peacekeepers have done little to nothing when Azerbaijan began this military attack. Can you confirm that? And if they have done nothing, what is the reason they have simply remained on the sidelines?

Ruben Vardanyan: The peacekeepers have tried to provide humanitarian assistance, but they have not tried to stop the war. Incidentally, a few of the peacekeepers have been killed by the Azerbaijani army. It is clear that a 2,000-strong contingent of peacekeepers could not stop a 60,000-strong Azerbaijani army that attacked Artsakh.

France24: This military operation that Azerbaijan launched this week is considered a success by them. Can we assume that Azerbaijan now controls all of Nagorno-Karabakh?

Ruben Vardanyan: Yes, they fully control it, but they have also lost many forces. It was heavy fighting, and I want to say with the utmost respect that I have seen how my people gave their lives for Artsakh. The Azerbaijani army, ten times larger, went against the small defense army of Artsakh, but they fought heroically. We suffered many losses, but the other side suffered greater human losses, and I just want the world to know that this was truly a heroic fight: a fight for one's homeland, for the people of Artsakh, and I truly respect and admire them.

France24: According to the ceasefire agreement reached on Wednesday, Armenian separatists have agreed to lay down their arms and surrender to Azerbaijan. Considering who is going to ensure the safety of the ethnic Armenian population, and considering that the Russian peacekeepers are not adequately maintaining security, does it mean that the people have no other option but to flee to Armenia?

Ruben Vardanyan: People are truly worried about their security because everyone sees how Azerbaijan repeatedly violates its own promises, infringes upon human rights, and does not follow any of the International Criminal Court decisions or all the decisions of the UN Security Council, and that is why no one from Artsakh trusts that any promises will be kept. And without political guarantees from the international community or Russian peacekeepers—especially in creating a secure environment, which is currently in great question—this is unbelievable. Because everyone saw how quickly things can change, people really want to leave and do not want to stay here.

France24: What would you like to see from the international community? As you are aware, Prime Minister of Armenia seems to have his hands tied, although more and more pressure is being put on him to leave.

Ruben Vardanyan: I will allow myself to be blunt. Well, the Prime Minister of Armenia made a wrong decision, made a wrong statement, has behaved wrongly by not putting the Azerbaijani leader under sanctions. So why does the international community not say that what Azerbaijan is doing is unacceptable? Why do they allow him to continue aggression? Why do they allow the blockade? All major players understand the real great political game. And I think that is very cynical. Such an attitude towards 30,000 children, thousands of pregnant women, and now they are saying, 'It's terrible. How can we live now?' This is something the people will never, ever forgive.