00:01Xi Jinping wraps up his three-day state visit to the U.S. with no major breakthrough announced, but rather
00:07a show of peace.
00:10French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Pope Leo XIV at the Élysée Palace as the Ponife began the first apostolic journey
00:17to France in 18 years.
00:20We've had a tremendous visit from two spectacular people.
00:26Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his state visit to Washington on Friday by announcing that he will meet with
00:34his U.S. counterpart two more times before the end of the year.
00:39The two leaders met behind closed doors for 90 minutes on Thursday when they discussed issues such as the Middle
00:47East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to Chinese officials.
00:53The White House has not provided any information about the private talks, but no major breakthroughs were made this week
01:01on issues such as trade or the safety of artificial intelligence.
01:06The visit has been criticized by many in the U.S. for being heavy on pomp and light in substance.
01:12On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump took Xi to visit the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence, the
01:20Constitution and the Bill of Rights are held.
01:27French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Pope Leo XIV to the Élysée Palace on Friday at the start of the Ponife's
01:34four-day visit to France, the first official state visit by a pope in 18 years.
01:39Macron told the pope that his visit offered hope to people confronted with, quote, the spectacles of the world's miseries.
01:46Turning to artificial intelligence, Macron said humans must retain their rightful place as technology advances.
01:53The French leader called on international oversight to ensure the most advanced systems mankind has ever created are not controlled
02:01by a small number of powerful actors or get used as instruments to oppress people.
02:05The Ponife echoed a similar sentiment, warning that a paradise of machines could undermine humanity and urged France to use
02:13its influence to promote peace both in Europe and around the world.
02:17In a challenge to Paris, the pope also rejected the belief that nuclear weapons guarantee security, noting that they fuel
02:24a new and difficult-to-control arms race and urged the country to resort to dialogue.
02:31The Azerbaijan International Investment Forum has resulted in 11 newly signed documents with foreign partners.
02:38They span renewable energy, digital technology, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, finance and investment.
02:46Azerbaijan's encouragement for international capital is not to simply invest in the country, but also to use it as a
02:53gateway to a much bigger market.
02:55And there are reasons why the country is attracting global investors.
03:00A growing focus to what connects Asia to Europe and a push towards diversification appears to be attractive.
03:06Connectivity, whether it's in the Gulf or ASEAN countries, which is really about the wider region in Asia or in
03:13the Middle East.
03:14But between China and Europe, there's a lot of business to do.
03:18And the Middle Corridor is a new network hub for that connection.
03:23The AIIF completed a full week of high-level events, including the Baku Security Forum, where over 100 countries attended
03:31to discuss new-age threats.
03:33And F1 saw the city transform into the biggest motorsport event of the year.
03:37There are more in the pipeline over the following weeks.
03:40The F1 Grand Prix helps a lot in communicating Baku as a modern, active, fast city in the world.
03:50That's important.
03:52Secondly, you need to identify the specific sectors of opportunities and spot those specific investors.
04:00Again, renewable energies, transport and digital and innovation spaces.
04:05Energy remains important, but international capital is increasingly being invested into other industries,
04:11and the Middle Corridor considered to be a real logistical alternative.
04:15The World Bank estimates that with sufficient investment and greater efficiency,
04:19trade flows along the route could triple by 2030, while journey times could be cut in half.
04:24Nadira Tudor, Euronews.
04:26The World Bank's State Company
