18:00 News in Brief: Alen Simonian Comments on His New Position; New Shelter for Asylum Seekers

Past hour's news summarized:

• The government has allocated property worth over 313 million drams in Abovyan, Kotayk Province, for the construction of a new specialized shelter for asylum seekers in Armenia, compliant with international standards.
• Alen Simonian, appointed Secretary of the Security Council, commented on his new position, calling it a team decision, and positively assessed the opposition's return to parliamentary work, expressing hope to contribute to improving relations with Russia.
• The Pakistani ambassador in Moscow reported that Iran and the United States continue to hold behind-closed-doors negotiations, with progress being made.
• According to Eurostat, Ukrainian refugees are leaving Poland in large numbers, primarily relocating to Italy, the Czech Republic, and Germany.
• The ongoing eruption of Mount Etna and disruptions to air traffic may cause losses amounting to tens of millions of euros for Sicily's tourism sector.
• The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration plans to tighten and change air traffic rules following an incident involving a presidential helicopter near a Washington airport.