On September 1, Russian entrepreneur of Armenian origin Ruben Vardanyan’s speech was spread, which contained information about his renouncement of Russian citizenship and movement to Karabakh. Speaking about the necessity of ‘establishing a front for the development and security of Karabakh’, Vardanyan has underlined the importance of Armenians’ existence there.
“If we take a look at Ruben Vardanyan’s activity, he is a Russian entrepreneur, who was sent to Karabakh by Russia,” Doctor of History, Deputy Director of the Institute for Effective Politics (Moldova) Ruslan Shevchenko told AzVision.az. They try to keep Russian ‘leverage’ there in case of the full return of the region to Azerbaijan.
“It will substantially enable Russia and Armenia to consolidate their agency network there. If he accomplishes his tasks, we will see him as the main candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Armenia instead of Pashinyan soon, with whom Putin is displeased,” Shevchenko noted. The expert believes that unlike Pashinyan, Vardanyan is a figure, who is fully controlled by the Kremlin and will strictly follow the orders of his superiors in Moscow if he comes to power.
“However, the US also understands it well enough. Pashinyan came to power with the help of America in 2018. For them, control of the South Caucasus is more significant than the Russian Federation, since it will allow Russia to be completely pushed out of Transcaucasia. Therefore, the US will try to prevent such cases and Vardanyan’s rise to power,” the expert also stated.
“When the sanctions were imposed on Russia, many rich businessmen pulled their money out of Russia in order not to get into trouble. One group takes political actions, others negotiate with the leaders of Western countries,”Russian political scientist Pavel Klachkov told AzVision.az.
“Various combinations can be suggested. Ruben Vardanyan, who did not consider himself indebted to Russia and renounced his citizenship, turning it into a combination of Armenia and Karabakh, fits this scheme very well. He overtly announces that he will start a new political career in Armenia. It may also be a cover-up to hush up concerns about the safety of deposits held in Western financial structures.
A Russian expert says that the system of his country which undergoes a transformation was established during the 1990s. At that time, it was not fashionable to love Russia, so everyone tried to plunder and disappear: “Behaviours of those who accumulated wealth without any moral connection with Russia were completely predictable. It is not surprising for me."
Another expert from Russia, deputy director of the Institute of Political Studies Darya Grevtsova believes that it is a very difficult period when it is not clear how things will develop in Russia, and how Moscow will cope with the special operation in Ukraine. Thus, many businessmen left for other countries, closing their stores and accounts.
“As a Russian citizen, Ruben Vardanyan, one of the richest entrepreneurs, has earned a large amount of money in this country and probably transferred it to the West. It is likely that he has invested in real estate or any other property abroad. Now it is very important for him to protect this property,” Gretsova highlighted.
Grevtsova does not make an exception that we may hear about Vardanyan’s intention about his candidacy for the post of Armenian prime minister. There is a high possibility for this to happen.
“I have participated in the meeting together with Vardanyan. He was heading the educational program at "Skolkovo" school. He was a scientific supervisor, and I can say that he is a really smart, cunning, and intellectual person, but is certainly not smarter than the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. His movement to Karabakh is risky enough and at the same time a brilliant step. If we consider the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan as a competitor, he can be a really strong alternative. Therefore, it will be interesting for everyone to see the course of events and which political steps he will take in the future. He may have even latently received support from the West. We are aware of how powerful the Armenian lobby is in the United States. The US has long wanted to separate Armenia from Russia, and they need people who are smart and talented enough to accomplish their plans. Vardanyan is such a figure," the expert also added.
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