Businessman Ruben Vardanyan, recently appointed Artsakh State Minister, today said he’s qualified, on behalf of Karabakh Armenians, to negotiate a settlement of the Artsakh issue with Azerbaijan.

Earlier today, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Baku is ready to talk directly with the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, but not with any government official. Aliyev also described Vardanyan as “Moscow’s man” sent to Karabakh with a special agenda to advance.

“I welcome the desire of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, to start a direct dialogue with Artsakh. Artsakh should be a subject in this process,” Vardanyan wrote on his Facebook page, adding that international mediators, including Russia the U.S. and France should be included.

Vardanyan denied having any agenda other than protecting the rights of the Artsakh people, adding that he fully meets the criteria of a negotiator proposed by Mr. Aliyev. “I live in Karabakh and want to live here,” he wrote.

“War always brings war. Sometimes this happens even after several generations. Aggression today is a ticking time bomb for the future generations of our two peoples. It means that the leaders of both sides should take full responsibility and, no matter how difficult it may be, sit at the negotiation table and stop the bloodshed," Vardanyan wrote.