Caucasian Knot
After the arrest, the Armenian National Security Service officers conducted searches in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hraparak newspaper reported. No official confirmation of this information was published.
As the Caucasian Knot wrote, in November 2024, Sarkis Galstyan, who arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, was found guilty of espionage for Azerbaijan and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Armenian Consul in Austria Ashkhen Aleksanyan was detained upon returning to her homeland, the Hraparak newspaper reported today, citing sources. The reason for the arrest was the discovery of documents on the diplomat that raised suspicions of possible involvement in espionage activities in the interests of Azerbaijan.
On the same day, employees of the National Security Service of Armenia conducted a large-scale search in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which lasted for the entire day. During these activities, computer equipment was thoroughly checked and various documents were examined.
In connection with this case, one of the former employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who wished to remain anonymous, told the publication that he knows Ashkhen Aleksanyan well. According to him, she began her career as a civil servant, and then moved to the consular department, where she received diplomatic status.
It should be noted that the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia states that the embassy in Austria is headed by Andranik Hovhannisyan; there is no information about Ashkhen Aleksanyan. There is also no information about Aleksanyan’s detention on the official page of the Armenian embassy in Austria and Slovakia, or on the institution’s Facebook account*.
It should be noted that in April, a court in Baku sentenced Emin Gasimzade to 15 years in prison, finding him guilty of treason. According to the official version, he “transmitted information to Armenia that was detrimental to the sovereignty and state security of Azerbaijan.” In particular, he transmitted photographs from the city of Shusha and other regions to certain people who contacted him through social networks.
