Nagorno-Karabakh leader refuses to condemn Russia
I only care about what is happening with my people, the state minister of the disputed enclave says.
Ruben Vardanyan, the State Minister in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the BBC Hardtalk programme.
Asked by Stephen Sackur whether he would condemn the invasion, Mr Vardanyan said he would “stay silent because I believe whatever my answer… will damage the opportunity to get support” from the international community.
The disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but is controlled by ethnic Armenians who refer to it as Artsakh.
For over a month Azerbaijani protesters have blocked the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, leading to major shortages.
Mr Vardanyan described this as a “huge attack from Azerbaijan”. He said “I care only about what’s happening with my people… blockaded with no electricity and no gas”.
Armenians in the region have traditionally relied on the support of Russia which stationed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers there in the aftermath of a war in 2020.
Some Armenians have questioned whether they can rely on Russia. Asked about concerns among Armenians that they may join a “union state” with Russia and Belarus, Mr Vardanyan refused to answer.
