YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Today, RA third President Serzh Sargsyan convenes the first press conference—on the topic of the April 2016 war—after his resignation (…).

He chose open-air part of Harsnaqar restaurant complex as the place of the press conference. Let us recall that the complex belongs to [former ruling party] RPA ex-MP Ruben Hayrapetyan.

After Dr. Vahe Avetyan's fatal beating at the restaurant, the public was boycotting the complex for a long time, and the attitude is still not unambiguous.

To the question why in Harsnaqar, RPA deputy chairman Armen Ashotyan answered: "The extension of the state of emergency [in Armenia due to the COVID-19 pandemic] has drastically reduced the possibility of choosing the venue for such a predictably crowded press conference, forcing the organizers to a number of restrictions. We feel responsible to the journalists, and in the current situation we have found a solution that best meets the technical and anti-epidemic requirements. The rest of the so called criticism is a primitive hypocrisy, based exclusively on the pro-government and near-government fears in connection with Serzh Sargsyan returning to the public political platform. If they had canceled this senseless state of emergency, the press conference would have taken place elsewhere."