(MENAFN- AzerNews) Whoever says whatever, I am more than sure that when Russian
oligarch of Armenian origin Ruben Vardanyan was invited to the
BBC's HARDtalk chat show, he was more than confident about his
ability to peddle his falsehoods and transparent deception,
accusing Azerbaijan of“violating the rights of 120,000
Armenians”.
However, the truth that transpired after a nearly 25-minute
grilling by Stephen Sackur, was that the morale-sapping blow that
Vardanyan sustained would be sufficient to consider the Kremlin
project was watered down following previous disastrous projects
spearheaded by people, like Volskiy and others.
Well, alas, both in a real-life situation and on TV, he got
stuck between a rock and a hard place, dodging most of the
questions Stephen Sackur sought to get answers. Finally, Ruben
Vardanyan proved his powerlessness and impotence to move ahead with
his unfounded accusations.
Notorious for his“dodgy business dealings” in Russia prior to
fleeing to Karabakh and being a major actor in the Kremlin Karabakh
project, who enjoy the attention of various Russian media outlets,
on BBC's HARDtalk, he proved his futility and ability to only own
billions through money laundering.
Though his deliberate and gross lies hit the headlines of
pro-Kremlin media, Vardanyan was unlucky on BBC's HARDtalk. Steven
Sackur literally pinned the Russian oligarch to the wall with his
sharp questions and said that Vardanyan had two options: either to
abandon Karabakh, or to obtain Azerbaijani citizenship along with
the Armenian community he leads.
Steven Sakur did not shy away speaking about Vardanyan's dubious
past and the establishing a money-laundering scheme, calling
Vardanyan 'part of Putin's oligarchy'.
Throughout the interview, Sakur reminded Vardanyan of his past
in Russia, where he made billions through corruption schemes and
connections with Putin. He was incontrovertibly unready for such a
scenario: he looked tightly stretched and trepidatious; moreover,
he unsuccessfully tried several times to direct the conversation to
the“humanitarian catastrophe reigning in Karabakh”.
However, the host reminded him continuously that the actions of
the oligarch are also the cause of the misfortunes taking place in
the region, because his arrival in the Xankandi, who is closely
associated with the Russian elite and Vladimir Putin, brought
nothing but a worsening situation for the ethnic Armenians in the
area.
The host also stopped Vardanyan's frequent use of the term
'Artsakh' and reminded him that they were talking about the
territories of Azerbaijan, internationally known as 'Karabakh'.
On why the Russian peacekeepers are not unblocking the road,
Vardanyan in a futile attempt tried to dodge the question,
ascribing it to the small number of peacekeepers and that they are
armed with light weapons and do not have the right to shoot at all.
However, Stephen Sackur reminded the embattled oligarch that the
real reason is that Putin is busy with the war in Ukraine and
Russia's military resources are dwindling.
“That puts you in a very vulnerable position, doesn't it?
Because you should not expect support from Putin,” the host said
ironically.
“The only way to save you is Putin's intervention, right?” - the
host turned to Vardanyan.
The Armenian billionaire again hastened to get away from the
topic. During the interview, he generally tried not to make any
statements about Russia, and stubbornly avoided questions about
Russian aggression against Ukraine.
When Stephen Sackur questioned him about the contradictions
between the Armenian government and Ruben Vardanyan, adding that
Yerevan often criticizes Russia and its peacekeepers, while
Vardanyan himself tries to justify Russia, the 'minister of state'
again tried to redirect the conversation to 'the plight of the
Karabakh Armenians', but failed again.
The presenter recalled that 'toxic relations' reign between
Vardanyan and the Armenian government, connected precisely with
disagreements over the fate of the Karabakh Armenians. He noted
that Yerevan recognizes Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan and speaks
only of the 'rights' of the Armenian community, while Vardanyan
still claims 'sovereignty and independence'.
Recalling investigations by OCCRP and the Russian opposition
activist Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation a few years ago,
Steven Sakur touched upon Vardanyan's shady past and the creation
of a money-laundering scheme, calling him 'part of Putin's
oligarchy,' adding that he accumulated his billions owing to his
links to Putin with whom he has been in good terms.
Later, the BBC presenter told Vardanyan that after the 2020 war,
the Karabakh Armenians have only two options:“Either your
community must enter into a dialogue with Azerbaijan and reach a
political understanding, or leave Karabakh. What do you think
should happen?'
The approach of the host coincided with official Baku's stance
as the Azerbaijani leadership has repeatedly stated that the
Armenian community of Karabakh should either accept Azerbaijani
citizenship and thus automatically gain rights and security, or
leave the region. After Vardanyan spoke about the“right to
self-determination” of the Karabakh Armenians, the presenter said
that in the long-term, there is no alternative for them to
integrate with Azerbaijan.
“The only way to save you is Putin's intervention, right?” the
host turned to Vardanyan.
'I don't understand what you mean,' he replied angrily.
The last but not the least, Sakur told the oligarch that many
Karabakh Armenians considered him the cause of their troubles and
want him to abandon the region though he ridiculed the call and
linked it to his respect for the diversity of opinions.
The oligarch's reluctance to comment on the Russian war in
Ukraine once again confirmed that he is the project of the
pro-Kremlin groups in the region and part of the Sargsyan-Kocharyan
clan with inseparable ties to Russia.
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