YEREVAN. – Pursuant to his petition, Suren Khachatryan is relieved of his duties as Governor of Armenia’s Syunik Region. 

Upon the proposal by the Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration, Vache Terteryan, the Government of Armenia adopted such decision on Thursday.    

To note, however, no respective statement was made either while including this matter in the special agenda, or while adopting the decision. 

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, shots were fired nearby Syunik Regional Governor Suren Khachatryan’s home, on June 2 at around 12:10am, as a result of which one person was killed and two others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to Goris city hospital. The person who died was Avo Budaghyan, the former Goris mayoral candidate. The wounded are Budaghyan’s brother Artak, and Nikolay Abrahamyan, a relative and bodyguard of Khachatryan. Subsequently, the wounded were transferred to capital city Yerevan.

A criminal case is launched on charges of murder and illegal carrying, possession, and use of arms and ammunition, and the Military Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation.

Two people are arrested in connection with this incident. One of them is the Syunik regional governor’s son, Tigran Khachatryan, 19, and the other is the governor’s bodyguard, Zarzand Nikoghosyan.   

Following this incident, Suren Khachatryan released a statement informing that he is temporarily resigning from his office as Syunik Regional Governor until the investigation is completed. But there is no such provision in the law.