Azerbaijan's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and residents of Karabakh and East Zangezur have sent an open letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Fact-info.az presents the letter:

“Dear leadership and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,

We, representatives of Azerbaijani NGOs and residents of Karabakh and East Zangezur, are deeply concerned by media reports about the nomination of Ruben Vardanyan as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize and want to bring to your attention the resolute position of the Azerbaijani public on this issue.

Ruben Vardanyan's life and activities have been an insult to the ideals and values guiding the Nobel Peace Prize, and even the mere mention of these names together can tarnish the authority of this highest award and mislead the international community.

Ruben Vardanyan is facing serious accusations as a criminal element who amassed wealth through money laundering and financing terrorism. For some time, he was one of the leading figures of the separatist regime - a military junta established in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia - which later dissolved itself.

During that time, his arrival in Karabakh with the intention of creating obstacles to peace, as well as his provocative statements, made the situation increasingly tense, as he attempted to disrupt the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Disregarding international legal norms, Vardanyan threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, advocated for the preservation of a “gray zone” in the territory of Azerbaijan, prevented the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to Khankendi, Khojaly, and other residential areas.

For people like Ruben Vardanyan, nothing is more sacred than dirty money. It is not ruled out that one of the main motives that brought him to Karabakh at that time was to illegally exploit Azerbaijan’s gold and copper-molybdenum deposits in these areas by remobilizing the leftovers of the Armenian army in Karabakh.

Ruben Vardanyan was detained by the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in September 2023 while attempting to escape from Karabakh. He is charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan for financing terrorism, participating in the creation and operation of armed groups not provided for by legislation, and illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At present, investigative and operational measures are still underway.

There are serious allegations regarding Ruben Vardanyan's shady financial activities in many countries. In 2019, the OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) published an investigative report on Vardanyan’s illegal activities called “Troika Laundromat”. This report exposed a complex network of illegal activities involving Ruben Vardanyan. In March 2019, members of the European Parliament wrote a letter to the President of the European Commission, stating the need to impose sanctions against the former owner of Troika Dialog, Ruben Vardanyan, and other persons associated with the “offshore system” of Troika Dialog. The letter was signed by 22 European MPs representing United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and other countries.

Ruben Vandanyan, an international financial fraudster who built a business empire with dirty money, has the blood of innocent people on his hands. He was involved in financing terrorism wherever he wanted to make a profit by illegal means.

The Nobel Peace Prize embodies the spirit of peace, reconciliation and international cooperation that Alfred Nobel wanted to promote. We urge the Norwegian Nobel Committee to take into account the clear and decisive position of the Azerbaijani public regarding Ruben Vardanyan, a person accused of numerous crimes.