Marina Kaljurand, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, made an unexpected statement at the European Parliament on December 15 in defense of the Russian billionaire and his illegal business. According to Kaljurand, she is “gravely concerned by the actions of the Azerbaijani state authorities and purported environmental protesters in the Lachin Corridor”.
Meanwhile, the situation on the Lachin road is far from what local Armenians are trying to make it out to be. Azerbaijani environmentalists were to conduct monitoring of the gold and copper mines in Karabakh, as per the agreement with the Russian peacekeepers. However, when the Azerbaijani delegation arrived at the site, they found that Armenian activists had been sent there who disrupted the monitoring. This was followed by a protest rally of Azerbaijani activists, NGOs and environmentalists at the Russian peacekeepers’ post outside Shusha, who demanded that the Russian command allow Baku’s representatives to conduct the monitoring.
The Armenian side has been trying to portray the situation as a humanitarian crisis. Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian billionaire of Armenian origin, who calls himself “Karabakh’s state minister”, speaks of a “crisis facing thousands of people”. At the same time, according to media reports, Vardanyan did not break off his ties with Russia. He gave up his Russian citizenship but retained his business and assets in Russia. In 2022, he hid from Western sanctions in Karabakh and became engaged in illegal mining and export of local gold.
Where do the proceeds from the sale of this gold go? Now, this is the question members of the European Parliament should concern themselves with. But that is not what worries Kaljurand, who cares more about protecting the Russian billionaire. Why? That, too, is a question European investigators would do well to look into.
Translated from Trend.az
