(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Qabil Ashirov Read more
The local anti-terrorist measures that have been ongoing in
Azerbaijan for a long time have finally yielded the greatest
results. On September 27, Armenian-born Russian oligarch Ruben
Vardanyan was detained in Azerbaijan when he tried illegally and
covertly to cross the Lachin Border Checkpoint.
It is worth noting that he was born in an ordinary Soviet family
in Armenia and after school, he went to Moscow for higher
education. In Moscow, he made his fortune and became one the
richest men not only in Armenia but also in CIS countries. Many
believe that he became a billionaire through some criminal affairs,
especially since his name is linked with money laundering. Besides,
he was one of the patrons who illegally invested in the formerly
occupied territories of Azerbaijan and was a supporter of the
separatist gang in Khankendi.
When the Ukrainian War broke out, the Western countries started
to impose sanctions on the Russian oligarchs. To evade the
sanctions, Ruben Vardanyan denounced Russian citizenship and
illegally came to Garabagh. Soon, he became the“minister of state”
in the so-called“republic.” Many believed that he was parachuted
into the position because Moscow plans to replace Pashinyan with
him. It should be mentioned that he was an ardent separatist and
after his arrival, separatism in Azerbaijan's Garabagh gained
further motivation.
But the fate of the criminal millionaire brought him to Baku in
handcuffs...
Former diplomat, professor Farid Shafiyev told Azernews
that the separatist Vardanyan is guilty of several very serious
felonies - breaches of Azerbaijan's criminal code, actions against
Azerbaijan's constitutional order and against Azerbaijan's
territorial integrity, participation in illegal armed groups, and
several other crimes.
“I think a more detailed, more legal analysis will be given by
the Prosecutor General Office and other relevant authorities.
However, it is important that justice is delivered. People should
know that criminals and warlords, who are guilty of destroying
Azerbaijanis' lives, jeopardizing security, and threatening
national security will be punished. That is an important point,” he
said.
Farid Shafiyev pointed out that the detention of Ruben indeed
serves as a lesson to other warlords and criminals. I think
Azerbaijan will be chasing and persecuting other war criminals. As
for amnesty, he mentioned that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
spoke about the amnesty in May and that was the offer prior to the
Anti-terrorist activities.
“During and after the Anti-terrorist Activities, the Head of the
Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential
Administration Hikmet Hajiyev also said that those who surrender
will be given amnesty. I think amnesty will be given to the persons
who surrender; to those who express remorse and a sort of excuse
for openly taking arms and acting against Azerbaijan's sovereignty
and integrity. We have never heard such kind of behavior from Ruben
Vardanyan up until the latest moment. If I am not mistaken, even
yesterday he gave an interview on the France 24 news channel and
spoke against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Thus, I think
that he will be brought to the trial,” he added.
To recall, Armenia invaded Garabagh and seven adjacent districts
in the First Garabagh War in the 1990s. During the First Garabagh
War Armenian armed groups committed massacres in different
residential areas such as Khojaly, Meshali, etc., and expelled
750,000 people from their hometowns. The war stopped in 1994 and
from that time Azerbaijan conducted negotiations to resolve the war
peacefully. However, due to the Armenian maximalist approaches the
negotiations reached a deadlock. To top it all off, the Armenian
side attacked Azerbaijan in September 2020 and Azerbaijan was
obliged to conduct the counter-offensive military operations that
called the Second Garabagh War or the 44-day War.
The Second Garabagh War lasted 44 days and finished with the
Russian-brokered November 10 declaration. Azerbaijan liberated most
of its invaded territories, except Khankendi and a few districts.
According to the provisions of the Declaration, the Armenians in
Khankendi should have handed over their weapons, the reintegration
process between Azerbaijan and Armenian residents in Garabagh
should have started and Azerbaijani IDPs should have returned to
their hometowns. However, after several months the Armenian side
commenced to violate the provisions and commit provocations and
sabotage against Azerbaijan. It is worth noting that the arrival of
Ruben Vardan at Khankendi played a big role in this process. As a
result, Azerbaijan once again was obliged to start anti-terrorist
activities on September 19, 2023. The anti-terror activities lasted
less than a day and the Armenian armed groups accepted Azerbaijan's
condition to hand over their weapons.
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