Day: February 17, 2025

The agency attributes the growth primarily to the active expansion of consumer lending. It also noted that Azerbaijan’s lending trends have historically been closely tied to oil prices.
“Although oil producers Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have benefited from the recent dynamics of oil prices, they are facing a decline in oil production. On the positive side, economic growth in non-oil sectors in these countries is exceeding growth in the oil and gas sector. The slowdown in economic growth in Armenia and Georgia is due to a decrease in migrant and capital flows from Russia,” S&P stated.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev and Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Rovshan Rustamov will pay an official visit to Georgia, Report informs.

The US State Department has dropped a statement from its website which stated that Washington does not support Taiwan’s independence – a move which has sparked anger in China, the BBC reports.

China said the revision “sends a wrong… signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence”, and asked the US to “correct its mistakes”.

The department’s fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations earlier included the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” – this was removed last week as part of what it said was a “routine” update.

A US spokesperson was quoted as saying that it remains committed to the “One China” policy, it said, where US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than Taiwan.

As well as dropping the phrase, the factsheet, which was updated last Thursday, also says the US will support Taiwan’s membership in international organisations “where applicable”.