The most important events and reports on the economy, central banks and politics from the Dow Jones Newswires program
CDU and Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia agree on exploratory talks
A week after the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the CDU and Greens decided to start exploratory talks. Both parties announced in Dsseldorf after meetings of their respective state executives that the chances of possible coalition negotiations should be discussed. The official exploratory talks should therefore begin in the coming week.
SPD threatens Union to go it alone in the dispute over Bundeswehr special funds
In the dispute over the passing of the special fund for the Bundeswehr, the SPD parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Rolf Mtzenich, threatened the Union with going it alone by the traffic light coalition. If the CDU and CSU are opposed to each other in the Bundestag with a view to the necessary two-thirds majority for an amendment to the Basic Law, then there are “other ways than the military constitution” to provide the 100 billion euros, Mtzenich told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Scholz: Intensive talks with Senegal about cooperation in gas production
On his first trip to Africa since taking office, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Senegalese President Macky Sall announced intensive talks about cooperation in the field of gas production. There are very intensive discussions at expert level, said Scholz at a joint press conference with Sall in Dakar. Scholz will visit the Sahel state of Niger on Monday and South Africa on Tuesday.
Austria’s Federal President Van der Bellen is running for a second term
Austria’s Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is aiming for a second term. “If you agree, I would like to do my part to ensure that the next few years will be good for all of us,” he said in a video published on online networks, thereby officially announcing his candidacy. The 78-year-old was elected to the highest Austrian office at the end of 2016.
According to the EU, Armenia and Azerbaijan are making progress in peace talks
At a meeting in Brussels, the heads of state and government of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to “advance” talks on a peace treaty for the Nagorno-Karabakh region. According to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the two held “open and productive” talks mediated by the EU.
Poland’s President pledges full support to Ukraine if it joins the EU
Polish President Andrzej Duda has pledged full support to Ukraine in its bid for EU membership. At a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Duda said those who “shed their blood” to belong to Europe must be respected “even when the situation is complicated, even when there are doubts”. At the same time, Duda ruled out a return to business as usual when dealing with Moscow.
Chief negotiator: Russia ready to resume talks with Ukraine
According to its chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine. “For our part, we are ready to continue the dialogue,” Medinsky said in an interview with Belarusian state television. The ball is in Ukraine’s court, at whose instigation the talks were suspended. “Russia has never refused negotiations,” said Medinsky.
Baltic states end electricity imports from Russia
The Baltic states have stopped importing electricity from Russia because of the Ukraine war. “This is an important step on our way to energy independence,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys told AFP. “By refusing to import Russian energy resources, we are refusing to finance the aggressor.”
Biden confirms cooperation with Japan during visit to Tokyo
After talks in Tokyo, US President Joe Biden praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for his cooperation on sanctions against Russia. Japan is a “key global leader” and the US remains “fully committed to Japan’s defense,” Biden reiterated after the meeting. Kishida was again pleased that despite the war in Ukraine, Biden wants to “further strengthen his commitment in the Indo-Pacific region”.
+++ economic data +++
Singapore Consumer Prices Apr +5.4% yoy (PROG: +5.5%)
Singapore Core Consumer Prices Apr +3.3% (Mar: +2.9%) yoy
DJG/DJN/AFP/apo
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 23, 2022 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT)