Andranik Hovhannisyan as Armenian Ambassador to Austria
His Excellency Andranik Hovhannisyan has been the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Republic of Austria for some time now. With an impressive career in the Armenian diplomatic service, Hovhannisyan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role.
PR of Armenia to the IAEA, HE Mr. Andranik Hovhannisyan (l.), and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (r.). / Picture: © Flickr / Dean Calma / IAEA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)]
Born on April 6, 1976, in Yerevan, Armenia, Ambassador Hovhannisyan has a remarkable academic background. He completed his studies at renowned institutions, including the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, USA (2000), and Yerevan State University, where he earned his doctorate in history (Ph.D.) (1998-2001). He also deepened his knowledge of Arabic at the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Cairo University, Egypt (1996-1997), underscoring his broad intercultural competence. In addition to his native Armenian, he is fluent in English, Russian, and Arabic. Ambassador Hovhannisyan is married and has two sons and two daughters.
Ambassador Hovhannisyan's professional career has been marked by a number of high-ranking positions. Prior to his appointment in Vienna, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Swiss Confederation, residing in Geneva, from 2019 to 2024. At the same time, he served as Armenia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva. In this capacity, he played a key role in global discourse and represented Armenia's interests at the international level.
His dedicated work in the field of human rights deserves special mention. In 2022, he held the position of Vice-President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and from 2023 to 2024, he was a member of the advisory group of this body. This underscores his strong commitment to universal human rights and his ability to exert influence at the international level.
In addition to these roles, he served as advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2019 and as deputy head of mission and embassy counselor at the Armenian Embassy in the United States from 2012 to 2014. His career also includes positions in the Department of Arms Control and International Security and as attaché at the Armenian Embassy in Syria. It is also noteworthy that in March 2025, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Slovak Republic, further illustrating the breadth of his diplomatic responsibilities.
Significance for bilateral relations
The appointment of Ambassador Hovhannisyan is seen as an important step toward strengthening bilateral relations between Armenia and Austria. Given his extensive experience in multilateral organizations and his knowledge of European diplomacy, he is expected to further deepen cooperation in various areas such as economics, culture, and politics.
Armenia and Austria have long enjoyed good relations. Austria was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The two countries cooperate in various international forums and organizations, including the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where Armenia plays an active role and Andranik Hovhannisyan himself previously served as Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the OSCE in Vienna (2006-2009).
This previous experience in the city and with the international organizations based there, including the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), is invaluable. His new position as Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Austria also means that he will represent Armenia at the OSCE and other important international organizations based in Vienna. This underscores the strategic importance of his office for Armenian foreign policy and his ability to operate on several diplomatic levels simultaneously.
With Andranik Hovhannisyan at the helm of the Armenian Embassy in Vienna, both Armenia and Austria can look forward to an era of enhanced cooperation and mutual understanding. His extensive expertise and commitment to international diplomacy will undoubtedly help to further strengthen the bonds between the two nations.