From Yerevan, the Armenian prime minister accused Azerbaijan of “ethnic cleansing” in Nagorno-Karabakh and assured that “in the next few days” all Armenians would leave the enclave, just a week after Azerbaijan’s military victory. “The exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh continues. Our analysis shows that there will be no more Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in the coming days. “This is an act of ethnic cleansing that we have warned the international community about,” Nikol Pashinyan told his government.
Yesterday, Azerbaijani authorities arrested a former leader of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government. Ruben Vardanyan, a wealthy businessman who served as minister of state for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, was arrested on Wednesday morning as he attempted to cross the border into Armenia. Vardanyan made his fortune in investment banking in Russia before moving to the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022, where he was appointed minister of state and renounced his Russian citizenship. He was released in February 2023 but remained a prominent figure in the area. His wife Veronika Zonabend confirmed his arrest in a statement. “My husband, Ruben Vardanyan, philanthropist, businessman and former Minister of the State of Artsakh, was arrested and held captive at the border by the Azerbaijani authorities as he left the border this morning along with thousands of Armenians fleeing the Azerbaijani occupation wanted,” he explained. “Ruben stood with the Arsakh people during the ten-month blockade and suffered alongside them in the fight for survival. I ask for your prayers and support to ensure the safe release of my husband.” A photo released by the Azerbaijani government shows the arrested Vardanyan flanked by two Azerbaijani officers in camouflage at an airport.