Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for November 29, 2022
Newsline: UK summons Chinese ambassador over BBC journalist arrest
China’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned to the Foreign Office after a BBC journalist was allegedly kicked and beaten by Chinese police while covering anti-lockdown protests. The department has called on Zheng Zeguang for a “full and thorough explanation” of the detention of Edward Lawrence. Chinese officials have claimed that Mr Lawrence “didn’t voluntarily present” his press credentials. (https://news.yahoo.com/uk-foreign-office-minister-summons-154117882.html) The broadcaster said that police claimed Mr Lawrence was arrested in case he caught Covid from the crowd.
Newsline: Russian diplomat says prisoner swap with US still possible
Russia and the United States have repeatedly been on the verge of an agreement on a prisoner exchange, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday, adding that a deal is still possible before the year’s end. Asked by reporters whether a swap is possible before the year’s end, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov responded that “there always is a chance.” “Regrettably, there have been a few occasions when it seemed that a decision in favor of it was about to be made, but it never happened,” he said without elaborating. “If that happened, iT would undoubtedly send a positive signal that not everything is so utterly hopeless in Russian-U.S. relations,” Ryabkov added. He reiterated Moscow’s call for the U.S. to discuss the issue discreetly and refrain from making public statements. He lamented that “Washington has been abusing ‘loudspeaker diplomacy’ instead of a quiet one, which didn’t help us to do business.” (https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/brittney-griner-russian-diplomat-says-prisoner-swap-with-us-remains-possible) The Biden administration has been trying for months to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, including through a possible prisoner swap with Moscow.
Newsline: US embassy in China warns lockdowns may intensify amid protests
The U.S. embassy in China released a statement Monday morning calling on U.S. citizens in the country to “keep a 14-day supply of medications, bottled water, and food for yourself and any members of your household.” “The People’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities have expanded COVID-19 prevention restrictions and control measures as outbreaks occur. These measures may include residential quarantines, mass testing, closures, transportation disruptions, lockdowns, and possible family separation. Ambassador Burns and other Mission officials have regularly raised our concerns on many of these issues directly with senior PRC officials and will continue to do so,” the statement reads. (https://www.foxnews.com/world/warning-us-embassy-china-signals-lockdowns-are-likely-intensify-amid-protests) David Tafuri, a former State Department official and foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, says the State Department is trying to get ahead of the situation and prevent citizens from being caught up in a tense situation inside China.
Newsline: Russia summons Norwegian ambassador
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Norway’s ambassador to Moscow following the arrest of Russian citizens for allegedly deploying unmanned aerial vehicles illegally. According to the Russian diplomatic service in a statement, Moscow has conveyed to the Norwegian ambassador, Robert Kvile, the inadmissibility of these decisions taken by the authorities of the Scandinavian nation. The Russian representatives have remarked to Kvile that these arrests and trials “are politically motivated” and do not comply with “the principles of fair and impartial justice”, according to the Russian agency TASS. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/moscow-summons-norwegian-ambassador-after-russians-arrested-over-alleged-illegal-drone-flights/) Finally, the Russian authorities have called for an end to what they consider to be ethnically motivated persecution of Russian citizens, which has been exacerbated since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
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