STEPANAKERT (Caucasus Watch) — Caucasus Watch’s Ilya Roubanis met with Ruben Vardanyan on two separate occasions, in July and August 2023 to speak with the former State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh about the blockade that has disrupted the sole existing transport link to Armenia.
Authorities report shortages in food and medicine, disruptions in electricity and water. While the ICRC was previously able to facilitate the coming through of some emergency supplies, this has not been allowed since the middle of June. The prospect of a resolution is bleak. Baku offers to supply the local population, but Armenians see Azerbaijani trucks as poisoned chalice or the first step to recognizing submission.
Despite electricity disruptions and even time-zone misunderstandings, Vardanyan greeted the visitors with good humor. He, like all people in Nagorno-Karabakh, is experiencing all the difficulties of the blockade, and as he says he smokes his last cigars. He appears cheerful, although he admits he misses his family.
He shows no rage. He “disagrees” not only with the Armenian leadership in Yerevan but also in Stepanakert. He openly shared his electoral preferences without hesitation. While he views Azerbaijan’s stance as “short-sighted,” he refrains from expressing any bitterness. Identifying as a national leader, he remains resolute in Karabakh.
You have an audience beyond Karabakh. Before we talked, I browsed the BBC, Reuters, DW, even France 24. Karabakh does not feature prominently. Why do you feel Karabakh is not front-page news?
Honestly, there are numerous crises. The flow of information is dense, and you cannot engage daily with a specific storyline. When the blockade started in December, there was great interest. So, there is a limit to how much people can engage with a storyline.