Arpine Hovhannisyan, ex-Vice President of the National Assembly, said she has decided to terminate her membership to the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia.

“Last week I received the license for [conducting] attorney activities, and I will join the community of attorneys,” she wrote on Facebook. “I [also] founded an NGO. Our objective will be to oversee the processes taking place in the country, reveal the problems; but along with that, to offer the solutions.”

Armenia’s Defense Ministry commented on the media reports saying they had hidden the death of a serviceman. 

Information on the death of the Armenian Armed Forces serviceman Edgar Grigorian on New Year's Night was neither made public, nor was hidden, spokesman for the ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on Facebook.

“If the information about the death of the soldier was published at that time, it would have probably interfered with the investigation,” Deputy Defense Minister Gabriel Balayan told Tert.am website.

He added that a preliminary investigation is underway.

The current situation around the issue of the Secretary General of the CSTO is painful for the organization, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said.

However, the matter does not affect the efficiency and combat readiness of the organization.

The CSTO Collective Security Council relieved Armenia’s Yuri Khachaturov of his duties as the organization’s secretary general in November at the initiative of Yerevan.

The second victim in a restaurant shooting in Armenia’s Abovyan died at a hospital on Sunday.

Jivan Harutyunyan, 21, was a relative of former MP Melik Manukyan 

According to preliminary information, an argument had taken place at the restaurant owned by ex-MP, but, subsequently, this argument had turned into an armed conflict during which firearms were used.

Charges have been brought against seven people, including the son of restaurant’s owner.

The American dollar’s exchange rate against the Armenian dram continues going up and comprised AMD 489.85/$1 on Monday and continues the rise  this is up by AMD 0.66 from the previous business day in the country.

The euro rate, unlike dollar, is falling. The exchange rate for one euro was AMD 553.68 (down by AMD 0.38).