KIGALI: British Home Secretary James Cleverly flew to Rwanda on Tuesday in a bid to revive a plan to send asylum-seekers to the East African country that has been blocked by UK courts.
The UK government said Cleverly will meet his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta, to sign a new treaty and discuss next steps for the troubled “migration and economic development partnership.”
“Rwanda cares deeply about the rights of refugees, and I look forward to meeting with counterparts to sign this agreement and further discuss how we work together to tackle the global challenge of illegal migration,” Cleverly said.
The Rwanda plan is central to the Conservative government’s self-imposed goal of stopping unauthorized asylum-seekers arriving on small boats across the English Channel.
Britain and Rwanda struck a deal in April 2022 for some migrants who cross the Channel to be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay. The UK government argues that the deportations will discourage others from making the risky sea crossing and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
Critics say it is both unethical and unworkable to send migrants to a country 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away, with no chance of ever settling in the UK
Britain has already paid Rwanda at least 140 million pounds ($177 million) under the agreement, but no one has yet been sent there amid legal challenges.
Last month the UK Supreme Court ruled the plan was illegal because Rwanda is not a safe country for refugees. Britain’s top court said asylum-seekers faced “a real risk of ill-treatment” and could be returned by Rwanda to the home countries they had fled.
For years, human rights groups have accused Rwanda’s government of cracking down on perceived dissent and keeping tight control on many aspects of life, from jailing critics to keeping homeless people off the streets of Kigali. The government denies it.
The UK government responded by saying it would strike a new treaty with Rwanda to address the court’s concerns — including a block on Rwanda sending migrants home — and then pass a law declaring Rwanda a safe destination.
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UK Home Secretary James Cleverly visits Rwanda to try to unblock controversial asylum plan
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UK Home Secretary James Cleverly visits Rwanda to try to unblock controversial asylum plan
US reaches nuclear deal with Armenia during Vance visit
- JD Vance’s visit to Armenia follows US-brokered peace accord with Azerbaijan mending relations after decades of war
- Agreement will allow up to $5bn in initial US exports to Armenia, plus an additional $4bn in longer-term fuel and maintenance contracts
TBILISI: Armenia and the United States agreed on Monday to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector as Washington sought to bolster ties with a former close ally of Russia, months after Washington brokered a peace agreement in the South Caucasus.
A statement on the nuclear sector deal was signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a two-day visit to the country.
The two said they had completed negotiations on what is known as a 123 Agreement, which allows the US to legally license nuclear technology and equipment to other countries.
The agreement will allow up to $5 billion in initial US exports to Armenia, plus an additional $4 billion in longer-term fuel and maintenance contracts, Vance said.
“This agreement will open a new chapter in the deepening energy partnership between Armenia and the United States,” Pashinyan said at a joint press conference with Vance.
Long heavily dependent on Russia and Iran for its energy supplies, Armenia is now reviewing proposals from US, Russian, Chinese, French and South Korean companies to construct a new nuclear reactor to replace its sole, aging Russian-built nuclear power plant, Metsamor.
No choice has yet been made, but Monday’s announcement paves the way for an American project to be selected. That would deal a blow to Russia, which traditionally has viewed the South Caucasus as its sphere of influence but whose clout there has diminished as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
'Diversify partners’
“Considering Armenia’s multiplicity of dependencies on Russia, it is a political priority to diversify partners when it comes to nuclear cooperation,” said Narek Sukiasyan, a political scientist in Yerevan.
“The United States seems to be the preference now.”
Vance’s visit comes just six months after the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders signed an agreement at the White House seen as the first step toward peace after nearly 40 years of war.
Vance was also seeking to advance the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP),” a proposed 43-kilometer (27-mile) corridor that would run across southern Armenia and give Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and in turn to Turkiye, Baku’s close ally.
The route would better connect Asia to Europe while — crucially for Washington — bypassing Russia and Iran at a time when Western countries are keen on diversifying energy and trade routes away from Russia due to the Ukraine conflict.
The TRIPP corridor, which envisages new or updated rail infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines and fiber-optic cables, would transform the South Caucasus, a region riven by closed borders and longstanding ethnic conflicts.
“We’re not just making peace for Armenia,” Vance said. “We’re also creating real prosperity for Armenia and the United States together.”
He is set to visit Azerbaijan on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the White House.
A statement on the nuclear sector deal was signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a two-day visit to the country.
The two said they had completed negotiations on what is known as a 123 Agreement, which allows the US to legally license nuclear technology and equipment to other countries.
The agreement will allow up to $5 billion in initial US exports to Armenia, plus an additional $4 billion in longer-term fuel and maintenance contracts, Vance said.
“This agreement will open a new chapter in the deepening energy partnership between Armenia and the United States,” Pashinyan said at a joint press conference with Vance.
Long heavily dependent on Russia and Iran for its energy supplies, Armenia is now reviewing proposals from US, Russian, Chinese, French and South Korean companies to construct a new nuclear reactor to replace its sole, aging Russian-built nuclear power plant, Metsamor.
No choice has yet been made, but Monday’s announcement paves the way for an American project to be selected. That would deal a blow to Russia, which traditionally has viewed the South Caucasus as its sphere of influence but whose clout there has diminished as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.
'Diversify partners’
“Considering Armenia’s multiplicity of dependencies on Russia, it is a political priority to diversify partners when it comes to nuclear cooperation,” said Narek Sukiasyan, a political scientist in Yerevan.
“The United States seems to be the preference now.”
Vance’s visit comes just six months after the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders signed an agreement at the White House seen as the first step toward peace after nearly 40 years of war.
Vance was also seeking to advance the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP),” a proposed 43-kilometer (27-mile) corridor that would run across southern Armenia and give Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and in turn to Turkiye, Baku’s close ally.
The route would better connect Asia to Europe while — crucially for Washington — bypassing Russia and Iran at a time when Western countries are keen on diversifying energy and trade routes away from Russia due to the Ukraine conflict.
The TRIPP corridor, which envisages new or updated rail infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines and fiber-optic cables, would transform the South Caucasus, a region riven by closed borders and longstanding ethnic conflicts.
“We’re not just making peace for Armenia,” Vance said. “We’re also creating real prosperity for Armenia and the United States together.”
He is set to visit Azerbaijan on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the White House.
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