The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia (MFA) has verbally extended a meeting offer to Veronika Zonabend, the wife of former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) state minister and well-known businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan who is being held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, MFA spokesperson Ani Badalyan told RFE/RL.

Earlier today, Ruben Vardanyan's wife had said that no one from the Armenian government had contacted her, although this had been announced.

The Armenian MFA spokesperson explained to RFE/RL that the meeting offer to Vardanyan's wife had already been discussed before, and was actually extended after her statement.

When asked who specifically from the Armenian MFA will meet with Veronika Zonabend, the MFA spokesperson noted that "the meeting will be organized by the competent departments, in cooperation."

According to RFE/RL’s information, the timeframes for the meeting are currently being agreed upon.

In June, the wife of Ruben Vardanyan, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Azerbaijan, announced a humanitarian initiative, within the framework of which she intends to organize a visit of an international women's delegation to Baku.

Noting that the Armenian citizens being held in Azerbaijan have been deprived of regular, independent humanitarian contact with their relatives for years, Veronika Zonabend had appealed to the Azerbaijani ombudsperson, asking to ensure the visit of this delegation to Baku, to organize a meeting with Armenian prisoners held in Baku's Umbaki prison, as well as to transfer to them parcels, photos, and letters from their families.

Last month, Ruben Vardanyan's wife had sent letters twice to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva regarding the aforesaid visit to Baku.