Now that Ruben is deprived of his freedom, living in cruel and unjust conditions, his life itself has become a testament to his unwavering faith in a better world. Ruben Vardanyan's wife

The Armenian Educational Foundation, during its 75th anniversary celebration, presented the Educational Visionaries Award to Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend as visionaries for the future of education.

Veronika Zonabend was present at the event and expressed gratitude for the appreciation on behalf of herself and her husband, Ruben Vardanyan, who has been illegally held in an Azerbaijani prison on false charges for two years.

"It is a great honor to be here today and to receive this prestigious award on behalf of Ruben and me. Of course, I wish we were standing here with Ruben."

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to address you today. Although I was born into a Russian-Jewish family, I consider myself Armenian by Choice.

Ruben’s passion and love for the idea of change in Armenia inspired me to do the same. The world is indeed undergoing great changes, and the systems we once relied on are collapsing. Ruben and I come from a part of the world where stability has been a rare occurrence, and our generation has lived through such times before. But we know for sure that education has always been a catalyst for personal empowerment. In our case, I studied aerospace engineering, while Ruben studied economics, and we have great faith in the power of education. From our parents, we learned the true value of education. It is the one possession that no one can ever take away. Neither knowledge nor values can be taken away from us.

And although Armenians have long been scattered around the world, it is only through unity and the transfer of knowledge that we remain connected to each other. Education and shared values are invisible threads that connect us no matter how far apart we live.

Today, once again, we stand on the threshold of a new era. However, there are things that remain unchanged: human values and the bonds that unite us. The 75th anniversary of the Armenian Educational Institution testifies to the importance that our people place on education as a path to the future.

Whatever you do in life, you must do it with your heart and love, because that is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you. And now, as Ruben is deprived of his freedom, living in cruel and unjust conditions, his life itself has become a testament to his unwavering faith in a better world – a world built on the power of knowledge, education, and community.

Now more than ever, we must stand together in the face of change, striving to bring stability to the world by passing on our knowledge and the lessons learned from our experiences to the next generation, for it is they who will lead us out of the uncertainties of tomorrow.

"Let's unite and pledge ourselves to teach, learn, and be together. Thank you for this honor," he noted.