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The Aznavour Foundation has expressed support for prominent Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, saying every effort must be made for his repatriation from Azerbaijan.

Vardanyan, who briefly served as Artsakh's state minister, was abducted and arrested by Azerbaijani border guards as he attempted to leave Artsakh for Armenia on Wednesday. Azerbaijan’s State Security Service announced on Thursday that he had been charged with "financing terrorism, participating in the creation and operation of illegal armed groups and illegally crossing Azerbaijan's state border".

"We were astounded to learn that our friend Ruben Vardanyan was arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities. Ruben joined the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) at the risk of his life in order to try to save the Armenian people of Artsakh, knowing in advance that the chances of success were low. He lived for more than nine months under blockade, separated from his loved ones and in difficult conditions," Nicolas Aznavour, co-founder of the Aznavour Foundation, said in a statement on Thursday.

"Despite the disinformation campaign that has been waged against him, Ruben is a patriot and philanthropist who has done so much for the Armenian people. To cite a few examples: the rehabilitation of the Tatev Monastery, the creation of the UWC school in Dilijan, or the creation of the Aurora humanitarian prize, among many others.

"When my father and I met Ruben in 2015 at the Aurora Prize ceremony, along with Noubar Afeyan and Vartan Gregorian, we shared with them our wish to create a Foundation under Armenian law. Ruben put his entire team at our disposal, and we were able to quickly create the Aznavour Foundation in Armenia. We are not the only ones that Ruben has helped, thanks to him, we have joined many other representatives of the diaspora who have settled in Armenia to try to build a better future for our country.

"We have had the pleasure of working with Ruben for all these years, as well as his exemplary family, Veronika Zonabend and their children. We would like to express our support and gratitude to Ruben, and remind people that he is a visionary who knows how to create a virtuous circle around himself. We absolutely need committed people like Ruben, and we must do everything in our power to get him released as soon as possible," reads the statement.