Author: xjadmin

On March 14th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan announced on the 13th local time that negotiations with Armenia on the draft text of an agreement to establish peace and state relations have ended. The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day stating that the relevant negotiation process has ended, but Armenia’s constitutional amendment to eliminate its territorial claims against Azerbaijan is a prerequisite for signing the agreement. The statement said that the Afghan side is willing to continue bilateral dialogue on issues related to the normalization process of relations between the two countries. According to the Armenian news agency, Armenian Prime Minister Pashnyan told reporters on the same day that the draft text of the peace agreement with Azerbaijan has been finalized, and the Asian side is ready to start discussions with Azerbaijan on the signing time and location. (CCTV News)

On March 14th, it was reported that “currently, except for financial asset investment companies (AICs) under the five major banks, the vast majority of banks have not yet established such investment platforms. With the gradual introduction of encouraging regulatory policies, the number of such platforms is expected to increase. We are currently studying whether to establish AIC A senior shareholder told reporters. Recently, relevant policies have been introduced to further expand the pilot of AIC equity investment, expanding the scope of AIC equity investment to the provinces where the pilot cities are located, supporting eligible commercial banks to initiate the establishment of AIC, and supporting insurance funds to participate in related investments. Industry insiders have stated that in recent years, the banking industry has been referring to the concept of “investment loan linkage”, but due to factors such as compliance and business models, the implementation level is still relatively low, and there is a lack of representative project implementation. In the future, with the expansion of equity investment platforms and the improvement of the ecosystem, investment loan linkage is expected to further shift from planning and imagination to specific construction drawings. Experts believe that in the future, banking based equity investment platforms need to further address the balance between “risk return liquidity”, enrich long-term funding sources, and strengthen patient capital for “early investment, small investment, long investment, and hard technology investment”. (China Securities Journal)

On March 14th, local time, it was learned that Columbia University in the United States has expelled or suspended some students who occupied campus buildings during last spring’s pro Palestinian protests, and temporarily revoked the graduation certificates of some graduates. The school stated that its judicial committee has imposed sanctions on dozens of students who occupied the campus building based on the severity of the assessed behavior. At present, the school has not provided detailed information on students who have been expelled, suspended, or had their degrees revoked. (CCTV News)

On March 14th, Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a video speech on the evening of March 13th local time that from the current statement of Russian President Putin, it can be seen that Russia has set multiple prerequisites for the ceasefire proposal, and Ukraine believes that this is Russia’s manipulation. Zelensky said that Ukraine has accepted the US ceasefire proposal, and the US can organize control and verification. The US and Europe have the ability to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire proposal. During the ceasefire period, the Ukrainian side is willing to seek answers to achieve long-term security and peace and develop a plan to end the conflict. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will not set conditions to complicate the ceasefire process, but Russia is delaying and not constructive. (CCTV News)

On March 14th, the Central Election Commission of Bulgaria announced the redistribution of seats in the National Assembly, with the Great Party, which had not previously entered the National Assembly, winning 10 seats. Earlier that day, the Bulgarian Constitutional Court announced that the election of 16 members of the National Assembly was illegal, as ruled by the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court has requested the Central Election Commission to reconfirm the results of the National Assembly elections held in October last year, including seat allocation and the list of elected members, based on the ruling.

On March 14th, according to US media reports, US President Trump once again threatened to acquire Greenland and stated that more US troops would be deployed to the island during a meeting with visiting NATO Secretary General Rutte at the White House on the 13th. The report said that when asked by reporters about his plan to annex Greenland, Trump said, “I think this will happen. He also said that the United States has troops stationed in Greenland, and ‘perhaps you will see more and more (American) soldiers going there’. Trump also stated that Rutte can play an important role on this issue, but Rutte responded that any related discussions are not within his jurisdiction and “I don’t want to drag NATO into it.

On March 14th, the US Treasury Department confirmed on March 13th local time that the license allowing energy trading with Russian financial institutions has expired as planned on March 12th Eastern Time. It is reported that the Biden administration authorized the license on January 10th to settle remaining transactions, while prohibiting energy financing transactions with Russian banks including Sberbank and VTB. (CCTV News)

On March 14th, Tesla warned that President Trump’s trade war could make it a target for retaliatory tariffs against the United States and increase the cost of manufacturing cars in the country. In an unsigned letter to US Trade Representative Jamison Greer, Tesla stated that it “supports” fair trade, but warned that “US exporters will be disproportionately affected when other countries respond to US trade actions. In a letter dated March 11th, the company wrote: “For example, past trade actions by the United States could lead to immediate responses from target countries, including increasing tariffs on electric vehicles imported into these countries.” The letter emphasized that even Tesla, led by Trump’s close ally Musk, is concerned about the potential impact of widespread tariffs. (Financial Times)

On March 14th, Yermak, the Director of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated that Ukraine firmly opposes the “freezing of conflicts” and this position has received support from its US partners. Yermak also stated that Europe will be included in the peace process, which is just the beginning, and there is still a lot of work to be done urgently by the Ukrainian side. He emphasized that Ukraine is not isolated in this process, but has gained the support and cooperation of numerous partners.

On March 14th, local time, the 43rd ordinary meeting of the Defense Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was held in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, from March 11th to 13th. The meeting aimed to review the overall security situation in the region, especially the increasingly serious threat of terrorism and the consequences and security challenges brought about by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s withdrawal from the organization. Nigerian Defense Minister Mohamed Badaru revealed that the Western Community has activated standby forces to combat terrorism and other cross-border crimes in the region. This unit is expected to consist of approximately 5000 soldiers.