Canada-Germany Security Agreement, UK-Ukraine AI Drones and Eurasian Charter Talks

Canada and Germany signed a General Security of Information Agreement on September 25 during German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s visit to Canada. The agreement creates a framework for the secure exchange and protection of classified and other sensitive information, including intelligence, operational information and technical defence data.

Canada said the agreement can support closer defence and security cooperation and expand opportunities for Canadian companies to participate in German contracts involving classified information. The ministers also discussed economic security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, investment and resilient supply chains as negotiations continue toward a broader Canada-Germany Joint Strategic Partnership.

The UK Ministry of Defence announced on September 25 that British companies would receive access to Ukraine’s Avengers AI Labs battlefield dataset under the first competition of the UK-Ukraine AI Partnership. The database includes imagery, video and sensor data from more than six million detected objects gathered during the war.

Up to 12 UK companies are expected to be selected to develop AI models for advanced autonomous systems, including drone swarms capable of operating in degraded communications or without satellite navigation. The programme covers autonomous target recognition, distributed decision-making, adaptive mission execution and collaborative sensing.

Russia and Belarus launched interstate negotiations on a proposed Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century at a ministerial meeting in New York on September 25, held on the margins of UNGA High-Level Week.

According to Russia’s foreign ministry, representatives of Belarus, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, Russia and Tajikistan adopted a joint statement launching the negotiations and approved rules for a working group tasked with drafting the text. The initiative is intended by its sponsors to address security cooperation, economic connectivity and institutional coordination across Eurasia.

The African Union Commission used the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership on September 25 to call for a shift from political declarations toward implementation ahead of the partnership’s 50th anniversary in 2027.

AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for finalisation of the Joint Africa-Arab Action Plan, clear timelines for priority projects and beneficiaries, and sustainable financing mechanisms. He identified trade and investment, infrastructure development, peace and security, food security, and cultural and knowledge exchange as priority areas.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in New York on September 25 on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

Qatar’s official account said the discussion focused on regional developments and efforts to reduce tensions and create conditions conducive to dialogue, with the stated objective of supporting regional security and stability.

The UK government announced on September 25 that senior executives from defence companies and critical national infrastructure providers would be invited to closed-door briefings from security and defence ministers on threats attributed by the UK government to Russia.

The briefings are intended to share intelligence-derived assessments and practical protective measures with sectors considered central to national security. They will sit alongside existing support from the National Cyber Security Centre, the National Protective Security Authority and specialist policing.