Among the top priorities of the newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III, may be facilitating the release of citizens detained during recent protests. This possibility was raised by Andria Jagmaidze, head of the Patriarchate's public relations service.

Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan assured that Yerevan has no plans to sever relations with Russia and called for avoiding unnecessary dramatization of the disagreements arising between the countries.

A major fire broke out in a multi-story building on Umar Sadaev Street in Grozny. Several people were injured, and over 300 residents were forced to evacuate their apartments.

Mikhail Kalugin, Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, emphasized Russia's special role in the South Caucasus in an interview with TASS. According to him, Russia is not just a neighbor, but "the most Caucasian power," for whom the region is "vital."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not attend the EAEU summit, which will take place on May 28-29 in Astana. He stated that the election campaign prevents him from leaving the country.

Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri), previously the acting locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, has been elected the new Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. According to the BBC Russian Service, 22 of the 39 members of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church voted for him.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha confirmed his readiness for a productive dialogue with Georgia. He described the recent meeting between the leaders of both countries, held in Yerevan, as "historic" and announced a planned meeting with his Georgian counterpart in Moldova.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos emphasized that the Armenian people alone have the right to determine their future, and Brussels is ready to support their aspirations towards European integration. According to her, recent events, namely the meeting of the European Political Community and the EU-Armenia summit, have demonstrated the path the Armenian people want to take.

The Almaty Investigative Court in Kazakhstan has extended the extradition detention of Chechen native Mansur Movlaev by two months. It was previously reported that he faces deportation to Russia.

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili expressed the expectation that Ukraine will reconsider its attitude toward Georgia by demonstrating real changes, rather than merely verbal declarations. According to the Foreign Minister, Kyiv's increased activity in establishing contacts is due to Georgia's growing importance as a regional transit hub and connecting link.