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Britain delays implementation of ‘foreign influence agents’ legislation

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After years of work, plans to register ‘foreign influence agents’ operating in the UK, similar to those in the US, have been temporarily shelved as the new Labour government in London seeks to reassess its relationship with Beijing.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) became law last year as part of efforts to protect British politics from ‘malign foreign actors.’ Countries such as Russia, Iran, and China were expected to face further scrutiny under the scheme, but its implementation has now been delayed until next year.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to POLITICO that the policy on China, including the FIRS programme, has been paused until the completion of the government’s ‘China audit,’ which is expected early next year.

Labour blames conservative government for delay

Controversy erupted last week after Labour Security Minister Dan Jarvis blamed the previous Conservative government for the delay.

Jarvis claimed that the Conservatives had “completely failed to take the necessary measures” to implement the plan and that IT solutions for registration were “not ready.”

His comments followed a letter from his Conservative predecessor, Tom Tugendhat, who questioned the delay and said he had been ready to launch the scheme in autumn 2024. Tugendhat argued that there was no reason the scheme couldn’t be launched before the end of this year, even considering the upcoming UK general election.

Is the Starmer government changing its China policy?

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told POLITICO that the ‘necessary preparatory work’ had been completed ‘well in advance’ of the election, and described Labour’s claims as ‘completely unfounded.’

Kearns suggested that Labour’s ‘softening position’ on China was responsible for the delay.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Beijing last week as part of a broader diplomatic initiative to review economic and political relations with China.

Treasury allegedly ordered to go ‘soft’ on China

The same official, quoted earlier, indicated that the review, expected to conclude in January, will provide ministers with clear guidance on areas of policy where closer engagement with China is possible.

Another government official, also speaking anonymously, said he was not aware of the specific details of the FIRS programme but noted that the shift in approach towards China had been prompted by the Treasury.

The FIRS programme, designed to align the UK with ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence allies such as Australia and the United States, will require individuals engaging in political activities on behalf of a foreign power in the UK to register. Once a country is placed in the ‘advanced’ tier, ministers will be able to extend registration requirements to cover a wider range of activities and individuals working on behalf of foreign government-controlled organisations.

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Russian consul general discusses Ukraine, Syria, and global affairs

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Andrei Buravov, Consul General of Russia in Istanbul, made statements on the Ukraine war and global developments.

Stating that the trend of multipolarity is strengthening, Buravov said that they find Trump’s approach to Ukraine positive. Commenting on the telephone conversation between Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Shara and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Buravov stated that Moscow is ready to cooperate to contribute to Syria’s economic potential. Commenting on the Azerbaijan-Armenia tension in the Caucasus, Buravov said that “there will be hesitations about maintaining calm until the conflict is resolved.”

Andrei Buravov, Consul General of Russia in Istanbul, made statements about the current situation in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has completed its third year. “Another important reason that led to the decision to launch the special military operation was the pumping of Ukraine with weapons from the West as an outpost of the fight against Russia, the active discussion of the issue of its admission to NATO and the deployment of the relevant military infrastructure of the North Atlantic Alliance on the territory of Ukraine,” Buravov said.

“In the 90s and 2000s, at the beginning of the years, we believed that we could cross the dividing lines, build a common space, as they said then, from the Atlantic to Vladivostok, live in peace and mutual understanding. Unfortunately, the West’s desire to make a junior partner out of Russia, to prevent the strengthening of our youth and economic independence has led to today’s events.”

“The geopolitical division today is not between the West and Russia, but between the Western minority and the world majority. An increasing number of large, medium, and small states have gained momentum in the process of the formation of a multipolar world and are pursuing policies of independent national orientation,” Putin said.

Referring to the telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Buravov used the following statements:

“Donald Trump advocated an immediate cessation of military hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and agreed with the US President that a long-term solution could be reached through peace negotiations. The Russian President supported the American President’s view that the time has come for our countries to work together. During the meeting, the issues of the settlement of the Middle East conflict, the Iranian nuclear program and bilateral Russian-American relations in the economic sphere were also discussed. The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow.”

“Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump also agreed to maintain personal contacts, including face-to-face meetings,” Buravov added.

The Russian Consul General also argued that Trump’s position on Ukraine confirms Russian theses:

“We welcome the fact that President Donald Trump recently pointed to Ukraine’s attempts to join NATO as one of the causes of the conflict in Ukraine, which no one in the West has ever done. Russia has been talking about this from the beginning.”

‘Russia supports the territorial integrity of Syria’

Russian Consul General in Istanbul Andrei Buravov also commented on the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Shara:

“During this meeting, Russia emphasized its position in support of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state. In this context, the importance of implementing a set of measures to ensure stable normalization in the country and intensify dialogue among Syrians with the participation of leading political forces and ethno-religious population groups was stressed. We have made a significant contribution to the economic potential of Syria since the times of the Soviet Union, and therefore the Russian side expresses its readiness to carry out relevant work in this regard. Of course, within the framework of this dialogue process, various issues will be discussed. The status of these issues will be clearly determined. I believe that the things you mentioned in the last part of your question will find their own solution to the branch within the framework of this process.”

Azerbaijan-Armenia tensions

Commenting on the lack of a final peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Buravov emphasized that Russia is ready to make a constructive contribution. The Russian diplomat said:

“We know that there is also the 3 plus 3 format in which meetings have been held in the recent period. Of course, how effective this format can be in resolving the bilateral issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia depends on the attitude of these two countries. At least within the framework of this format and from the point of view of Russia, we say that we are always ready for well-intentioned initiatives. The more both sides want it, the more our role as a facilitator will be possible. We are ready for this. That is what we always say. But of course, first of all, these two countries have to work in order to ensure a peaceful environment. And this depends on their decisions. There will always be hesitations that the situation there can be calmed down until this conflict is completely resolved. This is the situation.”

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Ongoing contacts with Trump, details to be determined, Kremlin says

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “Details need to be worked out. In their telephone conversation yesterday, the heads of state agreed to continue contacts with a focus on a separate meeting and agreed to immediately instruct their respective deputies. Now the work will start quickly; it will be necessary to wait for the determination of such details as where and when the meeting will be held.”

Peskov later said in an interview with Channel One that the preparation of such a meeting could take weeks or even months, and that Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, could be a suitable venue, but no decision has yet been taken.

Peskov said, “Riyadh was raised as a possible venue during the meeting. President Trump said after the meeting that he supports Saudi Arabia as a partner state. It is also known that Putin has very good relations with the Crown Prince. On one occasion, they even spent hours discussing world problems. This is a country with which we have very constructive cooperation in various fields. In this respect, Riyadh is convenient for both countries.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held their first official telephone conversation after a long break a day ago. Putin invited Trump to Moscow, and the presidents agreed to “maintain personal contacts, including the organization of personal meetings,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Peskov did not comment on whether this was the first meeting of the presidents since Trump’s reelection but said it was “extremely important.”

According to Peskov’s statement, Putin and Trump have invited each other, but there is no concreteness on this issue yet, and “exchanging mutual invitations is one thing, focusing on a separate bilateral meeting is different processes.”

“Certainly, there is a need for a meeting to take place quickly enough. The heads of state have a lot to talk about; many issues mentioned in yesterday’s telephone conversation are on the agenda. But it is not yet possible to talk about dates because work will begin these days,” Peskov said.

After the conversation, Putin and Trump agreed that the Ukrainian conflict can be resolved through peace talks and that Russia and the United States have the political will to hold a dialogue.

Peskov also said that there was no understanding yet on Europe’s participation in the negotiation process. On the question of China’s involvement in the negotiations, he called for patience.

Ukraine will be part of the negotiating process for the settlement of the conflict, the spokesman said.

Asked whether Ukraine’s full participation in the negotiations is being considered, Peskov said: “One way or another, Ukraine will of course participate in the negotiations. There will be both a bilateral Russia-US way of this dialogue and a way with Ukraine’s participation.”

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Rwanda-Congo conflict: The EU’s and Germany’s involvement

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Tensions between the two neighboring African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, have escalated in recent months.

The DRC accuses the Rwandan government of supporting militias in the neighboring Kivu provinces to the east of the DRC, which for decades have been seizing raw materials on a large scale and smuggling them to Rwanda.

In recent months and weeks, armed forces of the so-called ‘M23’ group, with the direct support of soldiers of the Rwandan armed forces, have seized large parts of the Kivu provinces, causing countless residents to flee the region.

Germany’s and the EU’s decades-long support for Rwanda has led to growing protests over the country’s role in the war in eastern DRC.

The Federal Republic of Germany has long cooperated closely with Rwanda, a former colony of the German Empire and a country that is also regarded in Berlin as an outsource for asylum procedures in remote parts of the world.

Last year, the EU also signed an agreement with Kigali for the supply of important raw materials.

German companies are very interested in Rwanda

Germany, other Western countries, and the EU have been cooperating closely for years with Rwanda, which was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916.

Berlin pays large sums to Kigali from its development budget; most recently in October 2022, it committed a sum of 93.6 million euros for a period of three years, two-thirds of which it called financial cooperation to promote investments.

Rwanda is one of the countries included by Germany in the Compact with Africa project, which aims to improve the framework conditions for foreign investment in participating African countries.

A German Business Desk has also been set up in Kigali to promote investments. In 2019, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development opened a digital center there, which, according to official statements, is intended to ‘act as a bridge’ between companies and research institutions in Germany and Rwanda.

Since 2018, Volkswagen has had a factory in the capital, Kigali, and the German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech has also been represented there since 2023.

Are M23 militias looting DRC’s minerals and smuggling them out of Rwanda?

Rwanda is also of great importance as a supplier of raw materials. For decades, observers have been pointing out in German Foreign Policy that Rwanda has been exporting much larger quantities than it produces on its own territory.

Much of this export surplus allegedly comes from the neighboring regions of the DRC, especially the provinces of North and South Kivu on its eastern border, which are extremely rich in raw materials.

Since the outbreak of the Great War in eastern DRC in 1996, Kigali has been supporting militias, especially in North Kivu, which illegally transport a significant part of the mineral resources from there across the border into Rwanda.

This means that Kinshasa is losing a lot of money: In 2023, DRC’s Minister of Finance Nicolas Kazadi estimated that this amounted to ‘a billion dollars a year.

The DRC argues that the militias, particularly those supported by Rwanda, are enabling the war in eastern DRC to continue, with Kigali’s sponsorship.

Human rights organizations draw attention to coltan among the smuggled raw materials. The mineral, used in the manufacture of mobile phones, is mined in North Kivu, often under the worst working conditions, smuggled to Rwanda, and exported from there.

M23 benefits from mineral exploitation and trade. For example, the rebels who seized the Rubaya mine (one of the world’s largest coltan deposits) last year earn about $800,000 a month in taxes, according to UN estimates.

The DRC accused Apple of profiting from looting

Indeed, last year the DRC accused Apple of using minerals illegally exported from the war-torn east of the country, challenging claims that the iPhone maker carefully verifies the origins of materials in its devices.

In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook dated April 22, Congolese government lawyers posed a series of questions.

In the letter, lawyers for the DRC, based in France and the US, say Apple’s iPhones, Mac computers, and other accessories are ‘stained with the blood of the Congolese people.’

The EU is allegedly covering up Rwanda’s crimes in the DRC

For years, campaigns against the supply of Eastern DRC’s ‘blood minerals’ through Rwanda have regularly failed, allegedly because the Western states supplying the raw materials are in close cooperation with Kigali and thus effectively cover up smuggling and attacks by Rwandan-backed militias in Eastern DRC.

In February last year, the EU even signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rwandan government for close cooperation in the extraction and processing of natural resources.

The focus was on so-called critical raw materials, which are indispensable for energy transition technologies. The European Commission clearly emphasizes that Rwanda exports, among other things, large quantities of tantalum, especially from coltan.

Human rights organizations warn that there is a high risk of ‘blood minerals’ entering the EU on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding. Brussels says it has put in place control mechanisms to ensure that this is not the case, but experts point out that the daily smuggling from eastern DRC to Rwanda has long been circumvented by all sorts of tricks, so they are essentially ineffective.

Rwandan support for M23 in UN report

In 2022, United Nations experts stated that they had evidence that the M23 organization not only possessed unusually modern weapons but was also supported by troops from the Rwandan armed forces directly on the territory of the DRC.

With their help, the M23 took control of growing areas, including new raw material deposits. Operations continued even after the signing of a formal ceasefire between DRC and Rwanda in July 2024.

At the beginning of this year, UN experts assumed that between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers from the official Rwandan armed forces were now stationed in North Kivu, and that M23 militias were participating in attacks there.

At the end of January, they succeeded in jointly capturing Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. After a brief ceasefire, the militias resumed their attacks on Tuesday, and countless people have been killed since then.

More than 2,000 people were allegedly burned to death in Goma following the M23 invasion last week.

According to the UN, the number of refugees in the Kivu provinces, many of them living in squalid conditions, is approaching five million.

DRC proposes ‘green corridor’ to the EU

Rwanda’s attack and occupation of large parts of Kivu province comes at a time when the DRC has offered the EU cooperation on raw material reserves in eastern DRC.

Kambale Musavuli of the Congo-Kinshasa Research Centre points this out. At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, the President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, presented the new Green Corridor initiative, which envisages numerous development measures along a large strip of land along the Congo River, from renewable energy production to the promotion of agriculture and the creation of transport infrastructure.

In the long term, the Green Corridor is intended to connect the eastern Congolese provinces of Kivu to the capital Kinshasa, thus rivaling the traditional transport and smuggling route from the Kivu provinces to Kenya via Rwanda and Uganda, Kambale Musavuli reports.

The EU Commission has recently confirmed that it wants to support the creation of the Green Corridor and the associated construction of transport infrastructure.

After all, up to one million tonnes of agricultural products can be transported from the Kivu provinces to Kinshasa via the Green Corridor every year, and this also applies to raw materials.

Western countries in DRC face growing resentment

Protests are mounting against the war in Kivu province, the occupation of large parts of the region by M23 militias and Rwandan troops, and the authorization of these actions by Western states.

At the end of January, angry demonstrators in the capital Kinshasa attacked the embassies of Rwanda, the US, France, and Belgium, among others. Since then, protests have also been organized in other cities in the DRC.

Activists are calling for a demonstration in Berlin this Saturday. The protest is also aimed at Germany’s de facto endorsement of the Rwandan war in eastern DRC.

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