Sanctions Clampdown: Armenia’s central bank ordered banks to identify and block payments meant to dodge Western sanctions on Russia, with tighter checks on counterparties, currencies, and even the origin of goods/services. Security Council Politics: Narek Karapetyan’s UK talks also come as Robert Kocharyan’s office chief warns citizens want real security coordination, not “big-mouthed statuses,” after Security Council secretary Alen Simonyan’s remarks. Government Shake-Up: A reshuffle signals Pashinyan is preparing for tougher years, with staffing changes and loyalists moving into key posts. Church vs State: Armenia has started the trial of Catholicos Karekin II and senior clerics over disobeying a state order, in a standoff tied to accusations of foreign links. India Defence Push: India’s defence secretary visited Yerevan and Armenia signed an MoU with India on innovation and shared defence production, expanding defence industrial and R&D cooperation. EU Partnership Mission: Armenia and the EU outlined cooperation priorities under a new Partnership Mission. TRIPP Debate: Lawmakers say TRIPP is an infrastructure project with no foreign military/security presence on Armenian territory. Public Sector Reform: Armenia lifted the 65-year age cap for many public sector jobs. Health Investment: Armenia allocated about 1.44 billion drams for renovation and new equipment at the National Center for Nuclear Medicine. Environment: Lake Kari pollution reports were sent to relevant agencies after garbage was widely shared online.