BLike 120,000 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians in the enclave since the Lachin Corridor was blocked just a month ago on December 12, 2022, Ruben Vardanyan, Minister of State of the Republic of Artsakh [Haut-Karabakh en arménien, NDLR]calls on the international community to urgently open an air corridor between Goris and Stepanakert.
Point : First of all, can you tell us precisely what the humanitarian situation is today inside Nagorno-Karabakh?
READ ALSOWith the Armenians in the forbidden corridor
We haven’t had a single vital supply for days. The situation continues to worsen, in particular because Baku refuses to resolve the problem through negotiation. In December, the gas was cut off for a few days, which constituted another tool of humanitarian and psychological pressure against the Armenians of Artsakh. If the road is not unblocked in the next few days, the international community will have to help us organize a humanitarian air corridor towards Stepanakert, to avoid the humanitarian drama.
What is the state of mind of the Karabashis? Even if the corridor reopens, the threats are great, do you think they will stay?
The people here are surprisingly strong. I cannot help admiring their resilience and strong will to overcome all difficulties and protect their right to a dignified life in their homeland. Artsakh Armenians give me so much energy. I’m sure they will stay, because they understand very well what Azerbaijan’s goal is. On December 25, more than 60,000 people took part in a rally in Renaissance Square in Stepanakert, reaffirming their will to fight for their right to live in their homeland.
They have known Azerbaijani politics for decades. For many years, Azerbaijan has wanted to change the demography of Artsakh, as it did in Nakhchivan during the Soviet era. Unfortunately, they think that the solution to the conflict is: “No more Armenians, no more Artsakh problem”. Except it won’t work, we won’t leave our homeland. But we have to find a way out. Only the decision on the status of Artsakh made by the people living here can guarantee a lasting and long-term peace for the region. I am sure that the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan both deserve to have a peaceful future based on mutual respect and understanding. My deep conviction is that war is not a solution.
READ ALSO“They want to break us”: in Armenia, with the castaways of the Goris hotel
On the military level, are there any movements? Do you feel the threat of an attack?
I can’t exclude anything, especially since just yesterday they shot a farmer carrying out agricultural work in order to hinder people’s efforts to overcome a possible famine and generate income. There are members of parliament in Azerbaijan who are threatening another war. One of them suggested hitting the mining complex from the air. The declarations of war and hatred come from Aliyev himself. Aliyev believes that the aggression against Artsakh in 2020 was justified, so he will go unpunished no matter what he does. Now he is using fake “eco-activists” to finish what he started in 2020. He cannot put himself outside the international order. This is why we expect a strong reaction from international actors to prevent any new aggressive measures against the Armenians.
You recently entered politics, serving your country, after having been a businessman in Russia. You have also renounced your Russian citizenship. Why this commitment?
Recently, in one of my public statements, I mentioned that I was the luckiest man in the world. I really think so. It may seem strange, especially in this situation, but as someone who managed to have it all, to be a successful businessman, a happy husband and a father of four children at the age of 54, I I now feel like I am doing something useful for my people, for Artsakh. I am carried by the strong will of the nation, and I am doing my best to bring this state out of the impasse. The people who live here deserve a peaceful and secure future, and if I manage to contribute to that, it will be the greatest achievement of my life.
Aliyev himself confessed to mocking international calls
What do you think of the action – or rather the inaction – of the Russians within the framework of the blockade?
The Russian peacekeeping contingent has a limited mandate, which deprives it of the possibilities of being more proactive in the process of resolving this crisis. It is obvious that a political solution must be found, in which Russia also has its important role. I want the Russian side to understand that it is in its interest to put the Artsakh issue on the international agenda. This would help them gain an international mandate and be stronger on the ground, as Azerbaijan has also damaged their public image.
We have always wished to maintain a direct dialogue with officials in Baku, within the framework of certain international mechanisms. But Azerbaijan rejects our offers and creates a real humanitarian disaster for 120,000 Armenians.
Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the blockade of the Lachin corridor was discussed in the UN Security Council. Despite all the contradictions, the countries agreed that the road should be opened unconditionally. It was December 21…, and the blockade continues. Aliyev himself confessed to mocking international calls, which is unacceptable and should be dealt with appropriately.
I am here in Goris where cargoes of fruit and vegetables are stuck rotting in the trucks while the Kharabakhtis lack everything. Could you organize the transport of these goods? Unfortunately no. Only the Red Cross has access to it, which makes it possible to transfer people whose health situation is critical to Yerevan. Thanks to the mediation of the Red Cross, we also receive a small humanitarian aid of basic products.
READ ALSOArmenian Karabakh on the brink of a humanitarian disaster
How to unblock the situation?
As I have already mentioned, the discussion in the UN was important, but it does not seem sufficient to force Azerbaijan to open the corridor and end the blockade. We are grateful to all international actors who support Armenians in this difficult time. We appreciate the support we have received so far. It is a question of one hundred and twenty thousand people, in the middle of winter, who have no fuel, no medical means, no food. Moreover, we have split families, we have a few hundred children who remained in Armenia without their parents, we have children from Artsakh whose parents are stranded in Armenia and cannot join them, and we have many non-Armenian citizens who have visited Artsakh are also stranded here. The situation is very difficult, but the people who live here know that this is a fight for their independence. That’s why they stay strong.
As Minister of State, I always tell people that we have to be strong and only then can we ask for help from the international community. I therefore want to take this opportunity to tell your audience that here in Artsakh we are determined to live in our homeland, but we need more support to counter the Azerbaijani dictatorship and its desire to suppress our people and our little democracy. This new aggression is unjustifiable.
In addition to the efforts to unblock the road, we urgently need an air corridor, under the protection of the international community, allowing humanitarian cargoes to fly directly to Stepanakert. Baku will put obstacles, but despite all the barriers, the humanitarian air corridor must work. Without this, we will experience a real tragedy here in Artsakh.