Armenia’s NSS withholds details on Azerbaijani soldier’s border crossing

Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) has not responded to a media inquiry about how and under what circumstances Azerbaijani Army serviceman Nasimi Musayev crossed the border before being detained in the village of Shaki in Syunik Province.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that it asked Armenia’s NSS where and on what date and at what time Musayev crossed the state border, whether the Defense Ministry or the NSS Border Troops were responsible for security in that area, and how he had evaded checkpoints.

In its official response, Armenia’s NSS cited the opening of a criminal case by the Investigative Committee and said that disclosing the details requested was outside its remit.

The agency also said that, under national legislation, information on the state border protection regime and the methods, means and plans of counterintelligence and operational-search activities constitutes a state secret. Its press service added that information permitted for release is made public in advance.

It was reported on October 1 that Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Musayev had been detained in the village of Shaki in Armenia’s Zangezur (Syunik) region. The Armenian side made what Azerbaijan considers provocative allegations about the incident, opened a criminal case against the serviceman and ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months.