Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects for a negotiated peace between the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia; and what steps they are taking to support the current negotiations between the two parties.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister of State for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on 11 October and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on 31 October. Both parties highlighted progress on peace negotiations, supported by meetings between the two countries in Istanbul and Kazan in October. The Government is clear that a sustainable peace is key for the stability and prosperity of both countries and the region, and we stand ready to support the two sides to achieve this goal.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the release of ethnic Armenians held in detention following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. The Minister of State for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories discussed this issue with Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to recent reports of civilian deaths and arrests following the crackdown on peaceful Church protests by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government released statements on 3 January and 23 January following the deaths of protestors on 31 December 2017 and 21 January 2018. The statements called on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government to investigate and hold accountable security force members who fired on civilians or ordered the use of lethal force. The UK continues to pressure the DRC government to open political space and allow peaceful demonstrations.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, in his efforts to mediate in Burundi.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK strongly supports the East African Community-led dialogue; it is crucial to finding a sustainable political solution in Burundi. We welcome their decision to appoint the former President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, as Facilitator of the Burundi Dialogue.
Our High Commissioner in Dar es Salaam met Mr Mkapa on 11 April. Mr Mkapa appears keen to engage and share analysis on the best way forward. We understand that he met with a Burundi government delegation on 13 April, following initial consultations with the Presidents of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), intends to meet with Mr Mkapa when he visits Europe in May.
We are also considering, in consultation with like-minded partners and Mr Mkapa, how best we can support the dialogue process both financially and politically, including through the Article 96 process and UN Security Council.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with the former Commonwealth Secretary-General, General Kamalesh Sharma, about the role Commonwealth countries can play in supporting peace and development in Burundi, and what plans they have to raise that matter with the new Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland of Asthal.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK recognises the important role Commonwealth countries can play in supporting peace and development in all countries, including Burundi. Commonwealth members Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya play a particularly important role in supporting peace and development in Burundi as part of the East African Community-led dialogue with Burundi. In December 2015, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), visited Uganda and Rwanda where he highlighted the deteriorating situation in Burundi and urged regional players to take concrete steps together to find a political solution. The Parliamentary Under Secretary for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Nick Hurd), discussed the situation in Burundi with the Tanzanian Foreign Minister on 29 January.
The UK did not have any conversations specifically on peace and development in Burundi with former Commonwealth Secretary-General, General Kamalesh Sharma but we will look for opportunities to discuss Burundi with the new Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon the Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to build the capacity of women in Burundi to engage in peace-building and reconciliation.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are clear that women have an essential role in peace-building and reconciliation in Burundi.
The UK supports Interpeace and the Conflict Alert and Prevention Centre (Interpeace's Burundian implementing partner) in delivering a peace-building programme, contributing £170,000 in 2015/16. Interpeace’s community peace-building dialogue groups are made up of at least 30 per cent women. The UK is also one of the top four donors to the Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI). GAI was launched at the Women in Peace and Security High Level Review in 2015 and is funding the project ‘Women for Peace and Dialogue’ in Burundi.
The UK will continue to look for opportunities to promote the active participation of women in peace-building and reconciliation discussions through political and/or financial support. We will also provide support to ensure women’s voices are represented in wider peace processes, negotiations and state building, including at local levels.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prospects for a free and fair Presidential election in Nigeria in 2015, and (2) progress made by the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission towards minimising the possibility of electoral fraud.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government is closely following developments ahead of Nigeria’s presidential and gubernatorial elections on 28 March and 11 April respectively. This vote will set Nigeria’s course for the next five years and beyond and as Africa’s largest democracy its impact will be felt well beyond its borders. It is vital the elections go ahead without any further delay on 28 March. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said on 8 February, the Nigerian people have the right to credible, peaceful and transparent elections. The UK welcomes efforts undertaken to date to this end, including the 14 January ‘Abuja Accord’ in which political leaders committed to preventing violence before, during and after the elections. We encourage all parties to respect the result of the vote and to pursue any grievances through the proper channels. We continue to support Nigeria’s Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver the elections. Over 80% of Permanent Voter Cards have now been collected and field tests of the card readers were broadly successful. This is testament to the positive advances that INEC have made, under the leadership of Professor Jega, to enable the successful delivery of the elections.