YEREVAN (A.W.)—Syunik province Governor Suren Khachatryan was dismissed from his duties during a government session in Yerevan on Oct. 6. During the session, Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Davit Lokayan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) said that Khachatryan was dismissed in accordance to his resignation letter.
Suren Khachatryan
Lokyan also presented a draft on appointing Vahe Hakobyan as the new Governor of the Syunik province, however, the government Chief of Staff Davit Harutyunyan said that President Serge Sarkisian must sign Khachatryan’s resignation letter before discussing the new appointment.
Khachatryan has been a controversial figure in Armenian politics for years. In November 2011, he physically attacked businesswoman Silva Hambarzumyan in the lobby of the Marriot Hotel in Yerevan. He was reportedly angered over her accusations that he stole over 100 million drams ($258,000) worth of equipment from her gold mine.
In 2013, Khachatryan resigned from his post as Syunik Governor—presumably because of a shooting incident near his mansion in Goris— but was reappointed in Sept. 2014 by Prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Syunik Governor Suren Khachatryan Dismissed