The verdict handed down by the Baku court regarding Ruben Vardanyan is being hailed not only as a restoration of justice but as the symbolic and logical finality of a 30-year conflict that inflicted immense suffering on the Azerbaijani people, said Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, shared these remarks on his "X" (formerly Twitter) account.
Hikmet Hajiyev emphasised that Azerbaijan has successfully implemented a unique military-political model to resolve the long-standing dispute. By initiating a comprehensive post-conflict peace agenda, the state has ensured that high-profile individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity—including Bako Saakyan, Araik Harutyunyan, and Ruben Vardanyan—are finally held accountable under the law.
The timing of the court’s decision carries deep emotional weight for the region. Coming on the eve of the anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the verdicts are viewed by the Azerbaijani administration as a profound tribute to the memory of the tragedy’s innocent victims. For many, these legal milestones serve as a necessary closure to the darkest chapters of the conflict’s history.
Addressing the international landscape, Hajiyev noted that while the world once looked to tribunals like Nuremberg or those for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda to uphold the global order, today’s international environment has become increasingly politicised. He argued that the application of international law is now frequently marred by double standards. In response, Azerbaijan chose to organize open, transparent court proceedings within its own legal system, aiming to set a new precedent for justice and accountability on the global stage.
The Presidential Assistant also issued a sharp rebuke to international critics. He described calls from certain members of the European Parliament and organisations such as Amnesty International for the release of the accused as "utterly immoral and unethical." Recalling a previous interview given by President Ilham Aliyev to France 24, Hajiyev compared the gravity of these crimes to those of the Second World War, suggesting that demanding the release of such figures would be akin to pardoning Nazi leaders immediately after the Nuremberg Trials.
The administration’s stance remains firm: where there is a crime, there must be accountability. Hajiyev concluded that exonerating those accused of grave war crimes would not only legitimize those acts but would also actively undermine the foundations of global responsibility. From Baku’s perspective, sustainable peace and genuine ethnic reconciliation are impossible without the bedrock of justice. As the legal chapter concludes, Azerbaijan reaffirms its commitment to advancing a steadfast, consolidated regional peace agenda.
Note, on February 17, a final verdict was reached in the public trial of Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan. He was convicted under articles of the Criminal Code about crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, and the financing of terrorism. Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
More about:
