Moscow/Yerevan, 27 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Azerbaijan has arrested the former head of government of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan, at the border with Armenia, according to official reports.

Vardanyan, officially the state minister of the unrecognized republic of Artsakh, was taken to the capital Baku, where the authorities will decide on the further course of action, Azerbaijan's border guards announced on Wednesday, according to the state news agency Azertac.

Azerbaijan took control of the long-disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh last week after brief fighting. It lies within Azerbaijani territory but has an Armenian population.

Tens of thousands of Armenians from the region have since fled.

The border guard's charge sheet accuses Vardanyan of illegal entry into Azerbaijan. It is unknown whether there are other charges against the 55-year-old.

Vardanyan's wife, Veronika Zonabend, confirmed the arrest. Her husband was detained by Azerbaijani authorities while trying to leave Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia, she wrote on her husband's Telegram channel on Wednesday.

Vardanyan, who became a billionaire businessman in Russia, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh last autumn and held the post of head of government there between November 2022 and February 2023.