Veronika Zonabend, the wife of Ruben Vardanyan, the former Minister of State of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), on Wednesday issued a statement about what has occurred to her husband. The statement reads as follows:.

“My husband, Ruben Vardanyan, the philanthropist, businessman and former minister of state of Artsakh, has been arrested and held captive by the Azerbaijani authorities at the border as he attempted to leave this morning, along with thousands of Armenians escaping Azerbaijani occupation. Ruben stood with the Arsakh people during the 10-month blockade and suffered along with them in the struggle for survival. I ask for your prayers and support to ensure my husband’s safe release.”

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that reports were disseminated in the media Wednesday that Ruben Vardanyan, the former Minister of State of Artsakh, was arrested while passing through the Lachin corridor.

Vardanyan's office informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that his wife, Veronika Zonabend, will make a statement in this regard shortly.

Zonabend told CivilNet that the contact with her husband was lost, and she saw the reports about his arrest in the Azerbaijani media.

Veronika Zonabend did not provide other details.