Nagorno-Karabakh
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Cox(1 year, 2 months ago)
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The Earl of Courtown (Con)
The noble Lord makes some good points. As he is aware, Russian peacekeepers are there, but Azerbaijan’s ability to conduct a military operation in full sight of them shows how committed Moscow is to peace and security in this area. This is an ongoing situation and the position is unclear, but we are making every effort to make representations. As I said earlier, my noble friend Lord Ahmad is at the UN. There is a UN Security Council meeting later today, where he will make these points. Later in the week, he has meetings with Foreign Ministers from that area, particularly the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan.
Baroness Cox (CB)
My Lords, I was in Armenia and at the border of Nagorno-Karabakh last week. I would like briefly to raise three concerns from personal experience. First, Azerbaijan has trapped the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh inside the region for many months; it has blockaded the so-called Lachin corridor, which is the only road from Armenia into Nagorno-Karabakh. Not only that but it has prevented food and medical supplies entering, and people have started dying of starvation. Secondly, in recent military offensives Azerbaijan has targeted civilians. Civilians have been killed, including a child, and many have been wounded. That is a very serious violation of human rights and may be a crime against humanity. Thirdly, I witnessed Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia. I was in Armenia and saw Azeri settlements on Armenian hillsides. A few kilometres from Goris, there is an Azeri settlement which is visible from the town.
I ask the Minister if he will be able to raise with appropriate sources the suffering inflicted by Azerbaijan on the Armenian people and the potential crimes against humanity. I also ask if he will respond appropriately to the need of the Armenian people for protection against the infliction of military offences and crimes against humanity in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
It is always good to hear the experiences of the noble Baroness. The points she makes are well founded and there are many concerns. It is particularly right and proper that my noble friend Lord Ahmad is at the UN this week; as noble Lords know, he is the Human Rights Minister. The noble Baroness also mentioned the Lachin corridor which, as she correctly said, was used for fuel and goods to be taken into the area and is now closed; it has been closed since December. There are considerable humanitarian problems faced by the population there now.
Bilateral Trade: Sudan
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Cox
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, the noble Baroness makes a very good point. Part of the dialogue between the UK Government and Sudan involves the promotion of employment and rights with women and with children.
Baroness Cox (CB)
Is the Minister aware that there are reliable reports of a build-up of Government of Sudan military forces in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, causing great concern at the possibility of renewed military offences? What is the position of Her Majesty’s Government with regard to the promotion of trade in the context of renewed offences against civilians and violations of conditions for lifting of sanctions?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, Her Majesty’s Government keep a continual watch on activities in Sudan. Noble Lords will realise that actually carrying out a dialogue with Sudan enables us to make continued representations against human rights abuse.
South Sudan
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Cox
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, our primary objective is to engage with regional leaders to bring an end to the crisis. My honourable friend the Minister for Africa, Mr Duddridge, spoke to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister—an important player in the area—on Monday, and encouraged the region to press the parties to end the crisis. The United Kingdom attended the conference in Kenya earlier this week on 11 July and encouraged the regional players to take firm action. But we will take careful note of what the most reverend Primate said and I will discuss it further with colleagues.
Baroness Cox (CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that this very tragic conflict must be seen in the context of the legacy of the previous war inflicted by the Government in Khartoum, in which 2 million people died, 4 million were displaced, tens of thousands of women and children were abducted into slavery and massive infrastructure was destroyed, with Khartoum’s widely reported continuing policies of destabilisation of South Sudan? Does he therefore agree that it is immensely important to invest now in positive developments in those areas not affected by conflict, such as education, healthcare, reconciliation and agriculture, in order to give those amazingly resilient people, whom I recently visited, some hope and some positive foundations for a post-conflict future?
The Earl of Courtown
The noble Baroness, Lady Cox, is quite right. We have to ensure that the implementation of the original peace agreement is taken forward and the troika have a lot to add to this. It must not be ignored, in particular the peace agreement’s reform pillars of demilitarising South Sudan, injecting transparency of public finances, and pursuing justice and reconciliation.
Sudan
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Cox(9 years, 2 months ago)
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The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, to deal with the first part of the noble Lord’s question, I can say that we take action to press for an end to impunity at different levels. With EU partners, we continue to call for compliance with the ICC arrest warrants; through bilateral lobbying, UN Security Council action and support for the peace process, we continue to press the Government of Sudan for an end to aerial bombardments. I cannot comment on US sanctions policy. However, we continue to call for both the Government of Sudan and all other parties to the conflict to engage in dialogue and to move towards a renewed and comprehensive peace process.
Baroness Cox (CB)
My Lords, is the Minister aware that I visited Blue Nile state earlier this year and witnessed first hand the terror and the suffering of civilians subjected to constant aerial bombardment by the Government of Sudan, who deliberately targeted markets, schools, clinics and people trying to harvest their crops? The bombers now come with searchlights, so they kill by night as well as by day. The Government of Sudan continue these genocidal policies with genuine impunity. What really effective measures will Her Majesty’s Government take to break this impunity, such as the imposition of targeted sanctions?
The Earl of Courtown
I pay tribute to the noble Baroness’s work in this sector. We have constantly raised the issue of attacks on civilians in the two areas in both the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council. We continue to emphasise to all sides that resolution of the conflict can be achieved only through political dialogue and not through military means. At present, we judge that the best way the UK can promote such dialogue is through supporting the African Union negotiation track rather than through sanctions.
Armenia: 1915 Atrocities
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Cox
Baroness Cox
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to recognise the killings of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians in 1915 as genocide.
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
My Lords, Her Majesty’s Government recognise the terrible suffering inflicted on the Armenian people and other groups living in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. While remembering and honouring the victims of the past, we believe that the UK’s priority should be to help the peoples and Governments of Turkey and Armenia to face their joint history together.
Baroness Cox (CB)
My Lords, in thanking the Minister for his reply, may I ask whether he is aware that over 20 states have recognised the genocide, including France, Canada, Poland, Chile and Austria, as well as the European Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, on the basis of irrefutable evidence of the systematic slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians? As His Holiness Pope Francis has emphasised the necessity of genocide recognition for healing, reconciliation and moving forward, will Her Majesty’s Government seriously consider reviewing their position?
The Earl of Courtown
I thank the noble Baroness for her question and pay tribute to the many visits that she has made to that part of world. Her Majesty’s Government are aware of His Holiness the Pope’s comments during the papal mass to commemorate the victims of 1915, which was held in Rome. We respect his view and agree that it is important to face the lessons of history with courage and do all that we can to prevent similar atrocities. Her Majesty’s Government reviewed their position of recognition in 2013 and, at present, we have no plans to conduct another review.