China has officially confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will visit the country this week. The Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency, citing a foreign ministry official, reported that President Trump will be in China on a state visit from May 13 to 15.

Trump’s visit was originally scheduled for late March but was postponed due to the war in Iran.

The extended church assembly has elected Bishop Shio, who served as locum tenens of the deceased head of the church, Ilia II, as the 142nd Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, according to the voting results announced by Bishop Anania, Tass reported.

“The Catholicos-Patriarch of the autocephalous Apostolic Orthodox Church of All Georgia has been elected Metropolitan Shio,” Bishop Anania noted, adding that Shio received 22 votes out of 39.

The newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Bishop Shio, who will reportedly bear the name Shio III, is to be enthroned on May 12 in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the city of Mtskheta, near Tbilisi.

“The enthronement will take place tomorrow in Svetitskhoveli. The service will begin at 10:00 a.m. [6:00 a.m. GMT],” Shio III announced after he was declared the new Patriarch of Georgia.

Ukraine and Germany intend to deepen cooperation in the defence sector, particularly in the field of drone technologies. According to Suspilne, this was announced by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius during his visit to Ukraine.

According to him, German and Ukrainian companies are already working on joint projects involving various types of unmanned aerial vehicles.

“This includes both tactical drones with ranges of up to 100km and long-range systems capable of covering distances of up to 1,500km,” Pistorius said.

According to the minister, the development of such drones is important for countering Russian attacks and suppressing the enemy’s air defence systems.

Pistorius also stated that Germany is interested in studying Ukraine’s combat experience.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a sharp rise in energy and fertiliser prices, stressing that the waterway must be fully reopened without restrictions. 

“We are witnessing a sharp increase in prices because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and that is precisely why we believe it is absolutely necessary to reopen it fully and without restrictions,” the UN chief said during a press conference in Nairobi.

According to Guterres, the United Nations has called on the parties to open the strait, saying this is the only way to return energy and fertiliser prices to pre-war levels.

He noted that several countries are already facing the threat of a food crisis due to fertiliser shortages.

The impact on the global economy is unacceptable, Guterres said.

“It makes no sense for a conflict between a few countries to have such an effect that it disrupts the global economy,” he stated.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov has said that Ukraine is ready for serious negotiations with Russia if Russia is genuinely prepared for such dialogue.

According to LRT, Budanov made the remarks while commenting on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s statement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should first call Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrange a meeting.

“If we speak seriously, then if Russia is truly ready for a serious conversation, Ukraine will also be ready,” Budanov said.

He stressed that Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness to end the war and achieve peace.

According to Budanov, the cessation of hostilities should not be seen as weakness.

“Establishing peace is not weakness, but a proof of common sense,” he said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared videos showing rehearsals for the May 28 military parade.

One video shows Armenian-made reconnaissance and combat UAVs mounted on top of a pickup truck, while the other features what appears to be the CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, which Armenia bought from France.

Pashinyan earlier announced that the Armenian government will showcase military equipment acquired during his tenure during a May 28 Republic Day event in central Yerevan. He had previously said that the event would serve as a “report to citizens” on his administration’s defense reforms.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently called on Armenia to swiftly choose between the EU and its current alliance, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

He suggested that Armenia should hold a referendum on the matter, and if the people chose the EU membership, then Moscow would draw conclusions and proceed with a “civil, soft, and mutually beneficial divorce.”

Speaking to reporters amid the campaigning season, Pashinyan said that he has previously discussed the matter with Putin.

“And I have said that until the moment when there is no need to make a choice—both de jure and de facto—we are not placing such an issue on the agenda. I also do not agree with the wording ‘divorce,’ because I have had the opportunity to say in parliament that we sometimes confuse interstate relations with marriage. I do not agree with that formulation. Armenia is guided in its interstate relations by an interstate logic. We are a full member of the EAEU, and as long as we are a member of the EAEU, we fully participate in all decision-making, and I repeat—so long as no necessity arises, we are not going to put forward any such issue. We will hold a referendum at the moment when there is an objective need for it. My assessment is that there is simply no such objective necessity. We treat our EAEU partners and our participation in the EAEU with great respect,” Pashinyan said.

He added that Armenia’s policy is entirely public and that nothing conspiratorial lies behind it:

“We have adopted a policy of balancing and a balanced foreign policy, one of the key principles of which is relations based on respect and mutual recognition of interests. And I have said before that we have not had, do not have, and will not have the goal of harming Russia’s interests; we will continue to be guided by Armenia’s national interests, and we will continue to deepen our relations with Russia, with the understanding that an inevitable transformation of those relations is taking place. And I want to say that this is not a matter of political taste, because one might interpret it as being connected to my personality or our political team. It is a process stemming from objective reality, and yes, a transformation of relations is taking place, and I assess this transformation positively. I also understand that there are certain questions, discomforts, and nuances that need clarification, but my assessment is that we must work through these issues calmly, quietly, without nerves, without unnecessary escalation, and we will proceed in that logic,” he said.

He stressed that he has “working relations” with the President of Russia based on mutual trust:

“We have discussed the most sensitive issues in a very calm, respectful, and friendly atmosphere, based on arguments and facts. I will continue in that logic. My respect to the President of Russia and to Russia. Again, we do not have the goal of harming Russia’s interests; we have not had it, and we will not have it, but we are also fully committed to the interests of our own state. Of course, we will also move forward with the logic of deepening our future relations with the EU and proceeding according to the law on launching the process of EU membership—that is, by deepening democratic reforms,” concluded Pashinyan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia does not intend to respond to every international statement or involve itself in global disputes, following Russian criticism over remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan.

Zelenskyy, speaking at the summit on May 4, said that Russia “fears drones may buzz over Red Square” during the Victory Day parade, and that this is why Moscow is holding the event without military equipment. This statement was seen as a threat by Moscow, which in turn criticized Armenia for not reacting to the statements made in Yerevan.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Prime Minister noted that the European Political Community summit is a multilateral platform, and that the status of the host country’s leader does not mean he is obliged to respond to all statements.

“I do not think that, in my capacity as the head of government of the host country, I should censor or necessarily respond to everything,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, various leaders express their positions in such forums.

“There have also been cases when, in my presence, the President of the Russian Federation made statements about different countries, but I do not remember Russia expecting me to respond to those statements,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan stressed that Armenia is simultaneously a member of various international organizations, but this does not mean it should become involved in all global conflicts.

“The Republic of Armenia is a member of the European Political Community, a member of the EAEU, and a member of the CIS, but that does not mean we aim to interfere in all global affairs,” he said.

He stressed that Armenia is a small country focused on its own agenda.

“We are a small country with our own agenda, and we do not always consider it necessary to take the lead on global issues and make statements,” Pashinyan stated.

He added that Armenia seeks to play a modest role in ensuring global stability and peace.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Monday that he will not attend the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit on May 28 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

He told reporters that back on April 1, during a meeting at the Kremlin, he informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would not attend both the May 9 Victory Day events in Moscow and the May 28 Eurasian Economic Union meeting, citing the campaigning period in Armenia.

“I have informed in advance, also out of courtesy and as an _expression_ of respect, that I will not be able to participate in the May 9 parade in Moscow, and I have also informed that I will not be able to attend the EAEU meeting on May 28,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing during a campaign event for his Civil Contract party in Yerevan.

Pashinyan said he also notified Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that he would not attend the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Astana.

The Prime Minister added that Armenia will be represented at the session by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday that over the past three years, orders worth 170 billion AMD (roughly 460 million USD) have been placed in Armenia’s defense industry, resulting in the establishment of dozens of enterprises and factories.

Speaking at a press briefing in Yerevan, Pashinyan said the development of the defense industry should be viewed as a natural process for a developing country. He made the remarks when asked about a video he shared earlier in the day showing rehearsals for the May 28 Republic Day military parade, which featured homegrown reconnaissance-combat UAVs as well as what appeared to be the CAESAR self-propelled howitzers that Armenia purchased from France.

“I believe that in our assessments, we should be as free from pathos as possible because we need to understand that this is a normal phenomenon for a developing country,” the Prime Minister said when asked specifically about the development of the domestic defense industry.

According to him, the orders implemented in the defense industry have led to the creation of new production facilities.

“Over the past three years, we have placed orders worth 170 billion AMD in Armenia’s defense industry complex, resulting in the establishment of dozens of enterprises and factories that are manufacturing equipment,” Pashinyan noted.

The Prime Minister also urged citizens to attend the event planned at Yerevan’s Republic Square on May 28.

“All citizens of the Republic of Armenia should be present at Republic Square to recognize that the Republic of Armenia now has a new-quality, new-level, and new-logic military,” he said.

Pashinyan earlier announced that the Armenian government will showcase military equipment acquired during his tenure during a May 28 Republic Day event in central Yerevan. He had previously said that the event would serve as a “report to citizens” on his administration’s defense reforms.