Russia is considering Armenia’s petition for the extradition of Armenia’s former Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan, who is also ex-chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

An informed source told Interfax news agency that Moscow has received a formal petition from Yerevan for the extradition of Harutyunyan, for whom an interstate search was declared within CIS countries, and along the lines of the criminal case into the March 2008 events.

“[But] a preliminary decision has been taken that the petition for extradition will be rejected, since it has been confirmed that Mikayel Harutyunyan has a Russian passport ever since 2002.”

Armenia's second president Robert Kocharyan announced that he will be running in the upcoming snap parliamentary election in Armenia.

“If I have returned to politics, then naturally one can assume that I will participate in those elections,” he said in an interview with Sputnik agency. “Now it’s right to form, with organizational steps, the unit with which you have presented [yourself] in the political arena.”

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has filed a criminal case into the murder of a 28-year-old woman, in capital city Yerevan.

The woman's body with traces of violence and with stab wounds was found in a house on Thursday.

As a result of the preliminary investigation, information was ascertained with respect to the identity of the person who had committed this alleged offense. Accordingly, this person is a resident of Abovyan town, and was born in 1980.

At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will pay an official visit to Armenia, from September 2 to 4.

The Armenian President and the Prime Minister will separately receive the Japanese FM. Armenian and Japanese foreign ministers will hold talks.

The FM of Japan will pay a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, in capital city Yerevan.

Armenia and Georgia are negotiating discounts on grain supplies by alternative routes, Armenian Agriculture Minister Artur Khachatryan told reporters.

 “If the discount is substantial, then maybe there will not be any increase, otherwise it can rise to 25 drams,” Khachatryan said.

The restrictions imposed by Georgia on the transportation of grain via its territory apply to all countries starting from September 15.