It turns out that the hunger strike started on April 5, that is, half a month ago. There are no other details about this protest of Vardanyan’s, so it is difficult to say whether the hunger strike has been a dry one. A dry hunger striker does not even last three weeks.
Interestingly, the announcement came immediately after the successful meeting of the commission on delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the commission on the issues of state border delimitation and border security of Armenia and Azerbaijan on April 19, 2024 at the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Ministers Shahin Mustafayev and Mher Grigoryan. It should be noted that during the meeting of the state commission the parties agreed on important points: the delimitation process will be based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, and there is a tentative agreement that certain sections of the border line will be drawn directly between the villages of Baganis (AR) — Baganis Ayrym (AZ), Voskepar (AR) — Ashagi Askipara (AZ), Kirants (AR) — Kheyrimli (AZ) and Berkaber (AR) — Gizil Hajili (AZ) in order to bring them in line with the legally established inter-republican border that existed within the USSR at the time of its collapse.
The four villages of Gazakh District occupied during the first Karabakh war are being returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan. In other words, there is a clear progress towards the signing of a final peace agreement. Direct negotiations between the parties are showing obvious effectiveness.
And then it turns out that Vardanyan has been on hunger strike for half a month, demanding “immediate and unconditional release of him and all other Armenian political prisoners.” Vardanyan’s family demands even more: an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement must necessarily contain a condition for the release of all “Armenian political prisoners”, as well as an international boycott of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) if these conditions are not met.
Not surprisingly, this information was presented by Vardanyan’s son to the French newspaper Le Figaro. He demands international pressure on Baku. The hunger strike report is clearly “tied” to April 24 to portray the imprisonment of criminals as a modern “continuation of 1915 against the Armenian people”, a “confirmation” that “Armenians are still being subjected to ethnic cleansing and persecution”. This is what the Armenian media are saying.
It was probably in the context of this information campaign that ten days ago “Vardanyan’s office” released a ridiculous hoax saying that “a group of organizations and individuals, including award winners” had nominated Vardanyan for the Nobel Peace Prize. Somehow, “Vardanyan’s office” failed to disclose and is still keeping secret what this “group of organizations and individuals” was.
The campaign for the release of the “political prisoner” has been joined by bribed Russian media and commentators. It is obvious that we are on the verge of another anti-Azerbaijani information campaign, aimed at creating difficulties for holding COP29 in November this year. We are used to it. We will be an object of dirty tricks for a long time. From the anti-Pashinyan forces in the first place.
We will be waiting for the trial of almost the full complement of separatist leaders. And the only regret is that this group is clearly missing the main criminals, Kocharyan and Sargsyan.
Eldar Ginesli
