Vardanyan founded the first investment bank in Russia, the Troika Dialog, which led to him receiving awards for businesses that allegedly met high ethical standards.
However, the source of his wealth and his activities outside the bounds of strict financial ethics are rather dubious. Assertions on Vardanyan’s involvement in criminal financial transactions, including money laundering, illegal drugs and arms trafficking, and employing a complex network of offshore companies for secret financial transactions, raise serious ethical and moral questions. The transactions around the Troika Laundromat may indicate to deep problems with the transparency and legality of his business practices.
Vardanyan’s activities certainly had dark aspects, such as money laundering and drugs and arms trafficking, which extended to Azerbaijan. In league with Noubar Afeyan, Vardanyan was involved in plundering and exporting Karabakh’s natural resources. Aside from relocating Armenian families from Syria and Lebanon to disputed territories, the two also resorted to manipulating international aid to allegedly restore religious and cultural monuments, promoting the ‘Armenian genocide’ thesis, and undermining the political positions pursued by Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
Vardanyan’s renunciation of Russian citizenship in an attempt to avoid international sanctions should mislead neither the EU nor the USA regarding his connections to the activities of the Russian elite and accusations of financing military actions against Ukraine.
Sanctions imposed by the Ukrainian government against Vardanyan in October 2022 highlighted just how determined Ukraine is to confront aggression supporters. Ukraine’s western partners have not yet followed suit, despite previous calls for sanctions by members of the European Parliament and the US Congress.
As one delves deeper into his activities, his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize raises several important questions regarding the criteria for awarding such prices. The Peace Prize is traditionally awarded for contribution to conflict resolution, peace promotion, and advocacy of democracy and human rights. Given the charges against Vardanyan, it is exceptionally important to examine how his actions and achievements correspond to these grand ideas.
An analysis of Ruben Vardanyan’s candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize requires a comprehensive consideration of the possible consequences of his business practices on the international community and world order. Such analysis must absolutely be carried out with due consideration of all aspects of his activities.
Samir Muradov
AzVision.az
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