Asked by: Lord Banner (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Georgia to ensure that police violence towards protestors and journalists in that country ceases.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 December in a call with the Georgian Foreign Minister, the Minister for Europe, the Americas and Overseas Territories stressed that police violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists is unacceptable. The Foreign Secretary's statement of 9 December condemned the excessive use of force and outlined the suspension of programme support as a result of the violence. Protesters in Georgia are making clear their opposition to Georgian Dream's decision to stall the country's progress towards a European future, undermining the commitments in the Georgian Constitution. We continue to call on the Georgian authorities to realign with European values.
Asked by: Lord Banner (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of increased (1) interference in, and (2) incursion into Georgia, by Russia; and what is their strategy to respond to such activity.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 December Minister Doughty discussed Russian interference in Georgia with Georgian Foreign Minister Botcharishvili. Georgia remains at the forefront of Russian hybrid aggression with Russian military units stationed only 30 minutes from the capital Tbilisi. The UK has been consistently vocal at the UN and OSCE in our support of Georgian territorial integrity and sovereignty over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russia regularly exerts pressure. We continue to call on the Russian Federation to cease 'borderisation' activities and withdraw their troops from Georgian sovereign territory. We have consistently supported Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, which would support a more secure and stable future for the country.
Asked by: Lord Banner (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks made by the then Foreign Secretary in December 2023 that there is a “legal route” to use frozen Russian state assets to finance the rebuilding of Ukraine; whether they intend to authorise such use; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government is clear that Russia must be held responsible for its illegal war. That includes its obligations under international law to pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Working with allies, we continue to pursue all possible lawful avenues by which Russia is made to meet those obligations. Our agreement with G7 partners to provide approximately $50 billion in additional funding to Ukraine, repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets, is an important step towards ensuring Russia pays. Our focus is on delivering this commitment, including the UK's £2.26 billion contribution, as soon as possible.