In November of last year, when Ruben Vardanyan was appointed the state minister of Nagorno Karabakh, people in the public discourse tried to understand what was hidden under it. In addition to praises, there were rumors about Vardanyan being sent by the Russian Federation.
The basis for these conversations was that Vardanyan was a businessman from Russia; he also had deep connections in the public, political, and information circles. Whether such sentiments are justified or unjustified should be answered by Ruben Vardanyan's activities. Today Stepanakert-Yerevan "Artsakh. month of blockade" during the telecast, Vardanyan reflected on the role and significance of Russian gamekeepers. Vardanyan's answer to the journalist's question left an impression of nervousness. "I don't want to comment on the words of a politician." Thus began his answer. The "politician," regardless of the businessman's likes and dislikes, is the RA Prime Minister. In the context of the question about Russian peacekeepers, such a qualification shows how sensitive Vardanyan is to the questions raised about Moscow's policy.
Complaining in the underlines of his answer, Ruben Vardanyan notes that RA support is mainly expressed in financial and legal aspects. The Minister of State was probably wholly disconnected from the Armenian reality in the fall of 2020 and needed to be aware of the war and its consequences. Otherwise, it is unlikely that he willfully ignored the fact that RA currently has limited opportunities in the matter of Nagorno Karabakh due to the severe results of the war. After all, if Russia, a part of which Vardanyan was not against Tatarstan's "prosperity," cannot force Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor, how can we have such an expectation from Armenia?
At the same time, Ruben Vardanyan is convinced that everything should be done so that the Russian peacekeeper feels good; he should think he is playing a significant role. Going further, he urges orders to stop targeting the Russians. First, Vardanyan should be reminded that, on the contrary, the Russian peacekeeper, according to his duties, should do everything to make the population of Nagorno Karabakh feels good (now to ensure security); the Russian peacekeeper must fulfill his obligations properly, this will make the local population feel good, and the Russian peacekeeper will handle his significant role. These are basic things that a person like Vardanyan knows very well. He is simply trying to protect the Russian peacekeepers from valid criticism at any cost, which puts him in front of the uncomfortable imperative to publish such contradictory texts. And do Russian peacekeepers need protection, and in such a way?
The answer to this question lies in Vardanyan's other thoughts. According to these thoughts, everything should be done so that the Russian peacekeepers receive an international mandate, extend their presence in their locations for tens of years, increase their number, and increase their ammunition. In short, the presence of Russia in the region will be perpetuated. Knowingly or unknowingly, Ruben Vardanyan becomes the servant of Russian interests. That's still nothing; he openly attributes that role to the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh. In other words, the starting point is not that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is settled, that hostility and war have disappeared, and that there is peace in the region. Vardanyan is mixing up the places of the cart and the horse because the ultimate goal of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should not be the stay of Russian peacekeepers. Still, the peacekeepers' factor should contribute to the establishment of reconciliation and agreements.
