The fact that Ruben Vardanyan was or was not sent on a mission does not change the fact that he is our compatriot and everything must be done for him to be returned. Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, told this to reporters at the NA Tuesday—and referring to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s statement regarding former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) state minister] Ruben Vardanyan—who is held captive in and is being “tried” by Azerbaijan—that we must first figure out who sent him on a mission and why.

“Secondly, there have been publications about it in the press. Thirdly, lastly, most importantly, do you think that someone’s movement to some extent for Azerbaijan should be based on the Armenian press or someone’s statement? They don’t know. For example, whether someone was [sent] on a mission or not. If there is a goal, if there is an idea to return someone, to make some kind of trade, no one looks at giving or not giving and etc.,” added the Armenian NA speaker.

And speaking about the “trial” of Armenian captives in Azerbaijani capital Baku, Simonyan said: “I believe that it is not a trial. I am not sure that in a country with such a ‘level’ of democracy, in the case of closed trials, in the case of those scenes, any international community or international court or international figure can give a positive assessment that this trial has legal force.

Have you seen the assessments that were given to non-Armenian citizens, but to the trials in that country in general?

As for Armenia, everything will be done against the Republic of Armenia from all sides, whatever we allow them to do, we will not allow them to do, and this is what determines the frequent answers, frequent interviews, commenting on everything, reacting to everything, trying to find solutions to everything. That is not weakness, it is the strongest thing, and they expected that weakness from us, they expected us to enter a field where it would be possible to accuse Armenia of its destructiveness, that it is leading the situation to a deadlock. No. Armenia is not going to lead the situation to a deadlock under any circumstances.”