(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu read more Some businessmen who still use the back of the Russian
peacekeeping forces as a shield, and feel themselves in charge of
some kind of Minister or leader in the sovereign territories of
Azerbaijan by trusting them, again came to the fore with their
so-called activities. Currently, Karabakh is like a soul whose
wound has just been healed. Unfortunately, some elements that are
still intensifying separatism inside that wound are preventing it
from healing by injecting a germ that poses a serious threat. We
are talking about Ruben Karlenovich Vardanyan, whose financial
sources are mysterious, but who built a wide business circle in
Russia, including taking refuge in the intimate areas of Russian
peacekeeping units and entering the Karabakh territory of
Azerbaijan. Although he is involved in business, this nomad
oligarch, who has no influence in politics, is currently declaring
himself a 'patriot' and making a group of Armenian minorities in
Karabakh to hang around him.
According to Armenian media, Ruben Vardanyan announced a "tour"
to villages and regions in the deployment zone of Russian
peacekeepers. "A series of visits to the regions," as Rubik loudly
called his voyage, is aimed at "informing residents about the
blockade and its consequences." Vardanyan also said that he intends
to "gather, mobilize people for an uncompromising struggle to the
end."
Apparently, the Karabakh Armenians are still not aware that it
turns out that they are "under blockade" and are "starving" very
much, as Vardanyan assures in his interviews. But this is not the
most important thing.
Note that Rubik is trying to form a kind of group around him,
simultaneously criticizing both the Armenian authorities and the
so-called Karabakh leaders. That is, in fact, Vardanyan becomes a
separatist among the separatists both in Karabakh and in
Yerevan...a unique trend, of course.
It will be especially interesting to observe the reaction of the
separatists themselves to such an agenda. Vardanyan almost does not
hide that the stories about how much he worries about Karabakh and
the Armenians there are fairy tales that even he himself does not
believe in. Rubik works for his Moscow curators and acts solely in
their interests. That is why he is trying to take advantage of the
situation and disrupts the progress in the Armenian-Azerbaijani
talks.
And if we compare this with the recent circulations in the
Russian media - about almost an ultimatum that the United States
allegedly put forward to Karabakh - it becomes clear why Rubik and
his patrons are in such a hurry.
However, these are not the only reasons that make Vardanyan a
target in the eyes of the West. Because when we examine deeply, it
turns out that Vardanyan's plan is related to different nuances.
First, Vardanyan is a Moscow-made figure whose mission is to carry
out a plan drawn up by his masters in Russia. The second is that
Vardanyan appears at the center point of collision between Russia
and the West. So, considering both points, we can say that
Vardanyan's presence in Karabakh both benefits and does not benefit
the West. So, let's talk about how Vardanyan was parachuted into
Karabakh.
Vardi's avidity for politics and high position began in 2020
after the victory of the Glorious Army of Azerbaijan over all
Armenian separatist groups in the image of him. Until that time,
the homeless "patriot", who later accepted Armenian citizenship,
was only engaged in his own dirty business. Although Vardanyan
built a big business world for himself in Russia, there are some
facts that his financial sources are also connected with the West.
But what is said about him does not end there...
Following Russo-Ukraine war in 2022, Vardanyan was named in a
draft bill in the U.S. House of Representatives which called for
him to be targeted for individual sanctions. However, he denies
that his renunciation of Russian citizenship is an attempt to
escape international sanctions against Russia. Of course, Ruben,
who is a professional chameleon in the business he runs, managed to
get rid of this hassle. It seems that either Vardanyan now sees
Karabakh as an easier morsel, or those who manage him wanted him to
perform his acting role in Karabakh for a certain period of
time.
But I wonder what are the subtle and remarkable means that
connect Vardanyan with the West?
As mention to some delicate facts, one of the means that links
him to the West is his wife, Veronika Zonabend, of Jewish origin.
Zonabend is the co-founder of the Armenian UWC Dilijan College. She
also holds a post at the American University of Armenia advisory
board. Zonabend is the head of the executive board at the Teach For
Armenia Educational Foundation.
Another reason is the various types of financial resources that
partially bind it to Europe, as well as its anti-Western
activities.
In 2013 Vardanyan along with Mikhail Broitman started Vardanyan,
Broitman and Co, an investment company. As of 2018, Vardanyan owned
75% of the company. Its assets include shares in Ameriabank, UFS
Transport operator, and several venture projects (Lamoda,
Pronutria, NtechLab). Just for more details, Ameriabank CJSC is an
Armenian universal bank offering corporate, investment and retail
banking services headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia. And the most
interesting fact is that in December 2015 the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) acquired a stake in
Ameriabank's statutory capital, of which the statutory capital
increased by AMD 6,639,680,000 (USD 17276819.18).
It should be noted that 2019 can also be considered a part of
Vardanya's business life in Russia. The situation that brought him
face to face with the West started after the outbreak of the war in
2022 between Russia and Ukraine. Vardanyan was placed on the
Ukrainian government's list of sanctioned people for his role as a
board member of the Russian air cargo company Volga Dnepr, which
plays a major role in Russian military air transport.
As can be seen from the mentioned facts, Vardnyan's black
business does not lag behind the companies of Armenia that have
been earlier subjected to Western sanctions. While Vardanyan was a
supporter of the Ukrainian war, he is currently seriously spending
money on separatist activities in Karabakh. As the saying goes,
Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination.
Ill-minded oligarchs like Vardanyan certainly cannot have any
intention. Rubik, who changes his skin like a chameleon, carries a
passport of different nationalities every day and uses his
nationality as an instrument for personal interests, is really a
carbuncle formed in Karabakh with full of pass in it.
Rubik Vardanyan, who has worked tirelessly in igniting the war
in Ukraine and now disrupting the peace in Karabakh with his
activities contrary to the wishes of the West and the world 'thanks
to his dirty financial resources', is unfortunately not seen by the
West, who allegedly shows concerns about the ongoing situation in
Karabakh. Why does the West with its double-standard, which
immediately launched a mechanism of sanctions on the separatist
'element' who has been wealthy due to Russia in the Ukraine war,
turns a blind eye to its illegal activities in Karabakh?
Washington - and the West as a whole - would have to ask again,
what money is being used to fund this spending of the life of Rubik
Vardanyan. And what financial flows, in what directions Vardanyan
still manages. I'm sure they will find a lot of interesting
things.
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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews' deputy editor-in-chief, follow him
on @elnurmammadli1