Author: Steven Sahiounie

According to Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s position rests on two approaches: first, the signing of a peace treaty with Armenia, and, second, dialogue with Armenians living in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region There is every chance of achieving peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Tuesday. “I think that we have a good chance to reach an agreement, especially now that, after the meeting in Sochi last October, Azerbaijan and Armenia have recognized each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. It would be a good idea to sign such an agreement sooner or later,” the presidential press service quoted him…

Asia’s leading stock index erased all of its gains for the year on Tuesday as bank stocks continued declines triggered by the collapse of a growing number of US financial establishments. The MSCI Asia Pacific index fell 2.3%, with Japanese banks among the biggest drags on the market. The index is down more than 9% from this year’s high recorded in January, wiping out its gains for the year. The MSCI entered a bull market during the second trading week of the year, reflecting optimism from China’s reopening. The Tokyo Stock Price Index (Topix) fell almost 3%, representing the biggest…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discuss, via phone, topics of trade, bilateral ties, forthcoming meetings, and Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced in a statement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, through a phone conversation, voiced their satisfaction that despite Western sanctions, Moscow and Tehran were able to reach record levels in bilateral trade. “A number of issues on the bilateral agenda were discussed. The sides noted the strengthening of the positive dynamics in the development of Russian-Iranian multifaceted cooperation. They expressed satisfaction with the achieved record levels…

Six lenders, including First Republic Bank, could be on the way for a potential downgrade by the ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service announced on Tuesday it is placing the First Republic Bank and five other American lenders on review for a downgrade. The move comes as concerns grow over the health of the US financial system following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and two other lenders. Zions Bancorporation, Western Alliance Bancorporation, Comerica, UMB Financial Corporation and Intrust Financial Corporation were all on the list, Moody’s revealed. The agency cited concerns over the lenders’ reliance on uninsured deposit funding…

The Israeli occupation troops arrested on Tuesday twelve Palestinians in different areas in the West Bank. Palestinian media outlets reported that the occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, and the towns of Yatta in Hebron and Sinjil in Ramallah, and arrested twelve Palestinians. On Monday, the occupation troops arrested twenty Palestinians in the West Bank. Source: SANA

The Russian leader recalled that the states then “distributed the zones of their influence among themselves and did not interfere with each other” Modern international problems began after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said while answering a question of one of the employees of the Ulan-Ude aircraft-building plant during a visit to the enterprise on Tuesday. “Of course, all the problems began after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Why? Because the then world order – in a sense it still exists today – was built after World War II by the countries that won…

Disconnection from international finance systems has turned out to be “a blessing in disguise” for Moscow, Dmitry Peskov said The Russian financial sector is practically immune to the effects of the unfolding US banking crisis largely thanks to Western sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. When asked about a spillover effect from the collapse of US lenders, which has led to a global stock rout, Peskov said problems in the American banking system cannot affect Russia in any way. “Our banking system, of course, has, let’s say, certain connections with some segments of the international financial system,…

These countries claim that “the Russian authorities have been informed regarding the ongoing investigations’ on the act of sabotage in question” German, Danish and Swedish authorities have rejected Russia’s proposals to cooperate in what concerns the investigation of the acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and members of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. The letter accompanies correspondence with Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the Nord Stream incidents probe that was released by Russia on Tuesday. These…

The billionaire has criticized Washington’s plan to help depositors recover funds from collapsing banks The US government’s intervention in the unfolding banking crisis has been slammed by Citadel hedge fund founder Ken Griffin, who told the Financial Times the situation should have served as a good lesson for investors. According to the report on Monday, Griffin said the strength of the US economy meant the authorities did not have to take such forceful action. “It would have been a great lesson in moral hazard,” he was quoted as saying by the FT. “Losses to depositors would have been immaterial, and it would have…

A new report by Responsible Statecraft outlines the reason behind the EU’s inability to broker a Saudi-Iran deal allowing China to become a significant player in the Middle East. It was China and not the European Union (EU) that facilitated the Iran-Saudi agreement to restore diplomatic relations. Responsible Statecraft, in a new piece, begged the question as to why the EU did not have a leading role in this new political breakthrough, noting that the new Middle East agreement “exposed the limits of the European Union’s influence.” Primarily, it is worth noting that China is considered, according to the EU’s “Strategic Outlook” Joint…