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Qabil Ashirov

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Unfortunately, humankind lives in a world where money can open all doors, and all principles and values are trampled. With the help of bribes, one can get all titles. A recent subject discussed in the Armenian mass media exemplifies it very much.

Thus, the Armenian lobby tries to get the Nobel Peace Prize for Russian billionaire of Armenian origin Ruben Vardanyan whose hands were stained with the blood of not only innocent Azerbaijanis but also Ukrainians. Even Armenians suffered from Ruben's greediness. Ruben Vardanyan is a person who was born in a poor family in Soviet Armenia and migrated to Russia in the 1980s. In the last days of the USSR, Ruben started to accumulate a fortune illegally and soon he became an oligarch. Several prominent Western media outlets unearthed his illegal activities, especially money laundries. Thanks to bribes, Ruben managed to escape from being arrested. To evade Western sanctions, Ruben renounced Russian citizenship when the Ukraine-Russia crisis broke out. Soon he appeared in Azerbaijan’s Garabagh, which at that time was yet under the control of the separatist clique.

Actually, it was not new for Azerbaijan. Baku had been aware of Ruben's illegal activities in Garabagh for long. The Russian billionaire of Armenian origin had illegaly exploited the natural resources of then-invaded Azerbaijani territories for decades. It was clear that Ruben Vardanyan was sent to Garabagh to hinder the peace process between Armenian and Azerbaijani communities, and frankly speaking, he succeeded.

Soon, he was parachuted into the post of the state minister of a so-called separatist regime. He ardently spoke against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and supported separatism. Besides, he took hostage the Armenian residents of Garabagh to succeed in his ambition. In short, Azerbaijan put an end to his illegal activities with the anti-terror measures in 2023 and he was detained when he was trying to sneak out of Garabagh.

Now, he is in Baku waiting for the court to answer all his illegal activities in Garabagh.

Here poses a question: "How can a person who supports separatism and terrorism, and money laundering, and due to his activities hundreds of thousands of people suffer in Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and other countries, be a candidate of the Nobel Peace Prize?” Is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to separatists and criminals? As is known, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to people who finish the enmity between two nations. However, Ruben Vardanyan sponsored the separatism in Garabagh and Ukraine, let alone reconciling the two nations. Besides, how can a person who hindered the peacefully return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their hometown be a candidate of Peace Prize?

In addition, there are serious doubts about Ruben Vardanyan's dark financial activities in many countries. In 2019, the OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) published an investigative report on Vardanya's illegal activities called Troika Laundromat. This report exposed a complex network of alleged 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 connected with the "offshore system" of Troika Dialog. The letter was signed by 22 European MPs representing Great Britain, Sweden, Germany and other countries.

Ruben Vandanya, an international financial fraudster who built a business empire with dirty money, has the blood of innocent people in the world, he participated in the financing of terrorism wherever he wanted to make a profit by illegal means.

Vardanyan's life and activities are insulting to the ideals and values guided by the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a black stain to the name of Nobel Prize. I hope the bribe of Armenian lobby will not work this time, and the most prestige prize in the world will be stainless. The ideals of Alfred Nobel, who made a good fortune out of Azerbaijani oil and has special place in Azerbaijani history, will live forever.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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