“We assembled a large team of staff and friends, and our project lasted around a year and a half - that is, a year and seven months,” Samvelyan told Viory. “There were around 40 people working on it, and each person was responsible for a different task.”

He said the monument had received widespread public support and described the positive reaction from Armenians as one of the project's most significant achievements.

The initiative was launched by Armenian businessman and politician Gagik Tsarukyan, who has promoted the project as a major cultural and religious landmark.

According to local media reports citing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the statue is also expected to boost tourism and attract visitors from around the world .

Once completed, the monument will surpass the current record-holder, the Jesus Christ the Savior statue in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, which stands at 61 metres tall.

“I never back down," Orban told supporters. “I have a good biography, and you can be sure that I will not ruin it at the end.”

According to party officials, 729 of 737 delegates voted in favour of Orban’s re-election, giving him a one-year mandate as party leader.

During his speech, Orban also criticised the migration policies of Hungary’s new government led by the Tisza Party.

“The liberals who have come to power will open the gates, foreigners will come, and they will fleece Hungary,” he warned.

Orban’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance lost power in April after Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party won a parliamentary majority with more than 53% of the vote. Fidesz-KDNP secured just over 38%, ending Orban’s 16-year period in government .

The election campaign was marked by competing allegations of foreign interference. Orban’s government accused the European Union and Ukraine of attempting to influence the vote, claims rejected by Kyiv and opposition figures.

A C-130 Hercules aircraft departed from Santiago and flew to Santa Cruz de la Sierra carrying the aid package. The operation was coordinated by the Chilean Air Force alongside the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and National Defence.

Speaking about the mission, Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna reaffirmed Chile’s support for Bolivia.

“Chile will always support neighbouring and friendly countries that require our cooperation. Finally, we reiterate our support for the Government of Bolivia and call for dialogue and a peaceful solution. And we reaffirm our unwavering respect for democratic institutions,” he said.

“We will continue helping the Government of Bolivia and the Bolivian people in this situation,” he added.

The latest shipment follows an earlier humanitarian mission on May 21, when Chile sent 7,843 kilograms of food and basic supplies to the Bolivian capital, La Paz.

Bolivia has been experiencing widespread disruptions linked to blockades and protests organised by peasant unions, the Bolivian Workers' Centre (COB) and other groups demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.

According to reports, the ongoing crisis has resulted in estimated economic losses of $2.5 billion and contributed to at least 16 deaths, including 13 linked to delays in accessing medical care due to supply and transport disruptions.

Speaking to Atlantico , Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire said:

Hilaire is confident of retaining his island's precious visa-free access to Europe, as a result of upgrades to its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP). The European Union has taken a tougher stance on citizenship-by-investment schemes, with its latest Visa Suspension Mechanism report arguing that the operation of such programmes could itself become grounds for suspending visa-free access to the Schengen Area. The report specifically highlighted Caribbean countries operating citizenship programmes, including Saint Lucia.

Hilaire says he is working to convince the EU of the importance and justification for retaining their in-depth partnership.

"The dialogue we maintain with Brussels is real, continuous and conducted in good faith," he said in an interview.

The debate is about more than passports. For Saint Lucia, it is also about preserving one of the benefits that have made Caribbean citizenship programmes attractive: visa-free access to Europe. The issue has become even more sensitive after the European Union pointed to Vanuatu as an example of a country that lost its visa-free status over concerns related to investor citizenship schemes.

However, Hilaire argues that Saint Lucia's programme has changed significantly in recent years.

"Following the Caribbean memorandum of understanding signed in early 2024, we have raised the minimum thresholds, strengthened due diligence, harmonised our standards with our four regional partners and introduced, from 2026, a five-year initial passport, a mandatory orientation programme, a thirty-day stay in the country and full biometric registration."

Hilaire, the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Tourism, Investment and Commerce, among others, says the debate goes beyond technical requirements.

"Saint Lucia is a sovereign democracy of 180,000 people, facing climate vulnerability, debt constraints and limited fiscal space. We are not asking Europe for charity: we are asking for a partnership grounded in facts. The conversation must be about evidence, not only about fears."

Zone of peace

Beyond the debate over investment migration, Saint Lucia is also responding to a changing geopolitical landscape. Increased military activity, diverging positions within CARICOM and competition among global powers have brought renewed attention to the Caribbean.

Hilaire believes the region's traditional approach remains relevant.

"Saint Lucia's position is one of quiet diplomacy. We have always regarded the Caribbean as a zone of peace, and we continue to do so," he said.

He argues that small states can play an important role in an increasingly multipolar world, serving as what he calls "honest brokers" in international affairs.

The government is also looking to strengthen ties with France through Martinique and Guadeloupe. Hilaire describes the relationship as "one of the most underestimated in the Atlantic" and sees opportunities for deeper cooperation on climate resilience, security and culture.

Tourism remains central to Saint Lucia's economy, but the government is seeking new markets. While North America remains the island's largest source of visitors, Hilaire believes France offers untapped potential, particularly through Saint Lucia's shared Creole heritage and creative industries. The key challenge, he says, is improving air connectivity with Europe.

Despite concerns about climate change, debt pressures and shifting global alliances, Hilaire remains optimistic.

"Small states have one underestimated asset: agility," he said. "We can move faster than the major powers on regulation, on partnerships, on positioning."

Image from Depositphotos.com

He also criticised the handling of Hungary's dispute with the European Union over asylum policy, arguing that the previous government had knowingly exposed the country to substantial financial penalties.

“This daily one million euros, about which the cabinet meeting minutes acknowledge, not that it is justified, but that the previous government did everything to ensure there would be a penalty of this severity,” Magyar said.

In June 2024, the European Court of Justice fined Hungary €200 million and imposed an additional €1 million daily penalty for failing to comply with EU asylum regulations.

Magyar said his government was exploring solutions used elsewhere in Europe to meet EU requirements while avoiding the establishment of migrant camps in Hungary.

“We are working to develop such a regulation so that, on the one hand, there indeed won't be migrant camps in Hungary, and we won't have to continue paying this daily fine of one million euros,” he said.

Asked about the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which entered into force on Friday, Magyar said Hungary would favour providing technical assistance to other member states rather than accepting relocated asylum seekers.

“There is a third option, for example, which the Orban government also used previously, providing additional technical border protection assistance through Frontex to either Greece or Serbia,” he said.

Magyar argued that the pact includes broader provisions beyond migrant relocation and introduces stricter migration rules than previous EU frameworks.

“Iran's blocked assets will also be released according to the memorandum of understanding that will be signed,” he said.

Araghchi also indicated that the framework would address broader regional issues, including the conflict in Lebanon, as part of efforts to reduce tensions across the Middle East.

The foreign minister warned that opponents of the negotiations were attempting to derail the process, singling out Israel as the main adversary of the proposed agreement.

“I must explicitly state that this agreement has enemies, at the forefront of which is the Zionist regime, and they are looking for pretexts to disrupt this agreement,” he said.

He stressed that pressure and threats would not change Iran's position and could instead undermine diplomatic progress.

“In these circumstances, threats are not only ineffective but also set back a potential agreement; threats must stop, and we must speak with the language of respect in order for us to reach an agreement,” Araghchi said.

His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a deal with Iran could be signed “this weekend” and suggested a formal signing ceremony could take place in Europe.

Trump also said he had cancelled a planned military strike on Iran following recent exchanges of attacks between the two countries, including incidents linked to a U.S. Apache helicopter crash that Washington blamed on an Iranian drone.

During my years as a foreign correspondent based in Washington, D.C., beginning in 2012, I witnessed the enduring impact of U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue , the bilateral dialogue mechanism Paulson was instrumental in establishing.

Launched in 2006, that dialogue proved invaluable in navigating the turbulent 2008 financial crisis, helping to usher in what many now view as a golden era of Sino-US cooperation.

Paulson built a reservoir of goodwill that granted him rare access and insight. Indeed, as he recounted in his book Dealing with China , President Xi Jinping personally shared with him the vision for a new development zone in Hebei province, south of Beijing.

Paulson became the first to reveal to the world the blueprint for the Xiong'an New Area—China’s ambitious "millennium plan". Yet, the geopolitical landscape Paulson surveys today is drastically different.

The trust deficit

At the CCG event, he characterised the current bilateral relationship as one of "managed stability"—a fragile equilibrium rooted in a state of "mutually assured economic disruption".

Both nations are acutely aware of their capacity to derail the other’s economy. However, as Paulson rightfully noted, the true peril we face is not the much-debated trade deficit, but rather a profound and widening "trust deficit".

Bridging this divide is an urgent global imperative. We are staring down a relatively high probability of future global financial disruptions, and with global sovereign debt at dizzying heights, the international community has significantly less flexibility to respond to an economic crisis. In such a climate, maintaining open lines of communication between US and Chinese economic monitors is not a diplomatic luxury, but a vital necessity. Whilst dialogue alone cannot predict a financial crash, pre-established trust is essential to minimise the global fallout when it inevitably occurs. But how do we begin to rebuild that trust?

The most viable bridge remains the undeniable reality of our planet's health. As Paulson highlighted, environmental crises—specifically climate change and biodiversity destruction—are not mere geopolitical risks; they are absolute certainties that no single country can solve alone.

A few years ago, whilst reporting from the World Economic Forum in Davos, I asked China’s Special Climate Envoy Xie Zhenhua and US Climate Envoy John Kerry about the state of their collaborative efforts. Both men emphatically affirmed the tightness and necessity of Sino-US cooperation in the climate sphere.

Today, navigating the drastically altered political realities and protective policies of Donald Trump’s second term, that era of seamless alignment can feel like a distant memory. Despite these shifting political winds, Paulson used his appearance in Beijing to emphasise that the immense, untapped potential for Sino-US collaboration in conservation and climate remains.

The Paulson Institute has long been at the vanguard of this effort, having famously helped introduce the national park system to China through groundbreaking pilot programmes in Yunnan province.

China, for its part, has made commendable strides on the supply side, leading the charge in electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and the diversification of energy sources. The geopolitical headwinds are undoubtedly fierce, and for today's global CEOs facing unpredictable export controls and sanctions , the temptation to retreat is strong.

Yet, Paulson’s warning remains stark: walking away from China is done "at your own peril".

Overcoming the defining challenges of our era demands pragmatic leadership. The world’s two largest economies must look beyond their mutual suspicion and close the trust deficit. The cost of failing to do so is simply too high for the rest of the world to bear.

Du Yubin is a journalist and chief editor for CGTN. He was stationed in Washington, D.C. and London for six years each, focusing on China-US and China-EU relations. He has over 16 years of experience in international communication and new media. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.

After landing, Boytsov spoke about the significance of Russia Day and the values he believes define the country.

“Russia has always been known for its heroes not only in words but in actions, brave people , united teams, faith, hard work, and discipline,” he said.

“These qualities allow us to be one team, to believe in each other, to help and achieve goals. Today we once again showed that the country supports athletes, that athletes perform world -class stunts, world-class jumps, and set world records."

The jump was also held in support of the International Youth Festival, which is scheduled to take place in Yekaterinburg later this year.

According to Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the design of Mercury Tower presented significant challenges for the stunt.

“Due to the stepped shape of the building, there are only two vertical sections suitable for free fall from 338.8 to 200 metres, and the dense development of Moscow City left only one safe flight corridor. Success depended on precise weather analysis, study of wind flow directions at different altitudes, and flawless piloting,” the agency said.

Boytsov performed the jump at 4:30 a.m. local time to minimise weather-related risks and avoid disrupting pedestrians. Officials said the stunt became the first officially recorded building jump in Russia involving a smoke flare.

Russia Day is observed annually on June 12. The holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) by the First Congress of People's Deputies in 1990, a milestone in the formation of the Russian Federation.