Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Mauritius about the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory; and what is their policy on the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the Mauritian Prime Minister on 23 July and committed to continuing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago. It is too early to speculate on timelines or conclusions, but it is the Government's priority to resolve this long standing and important issue, including ensuring the long-term secure and effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider the government of China a strategic (1) threat, or (2) challenge, to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will bring a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, driven by the national interest. We will co-operate where we can, including on global net zero, health and trade; compete where we have different interests; and challenge where we must, to protect our national security and values. We will improve the UK's capability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses through an audit of the UK's relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they have offered to the government of Brazil, if any, following the recent flooding in Rio Grande do Sul.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We were saddened to learn of the terrible flooding that has ravaged Rio Grande do Sul. The Minister for the Americas [Minister Rutley] offered our sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic incident, including the families of those who have so sadly lost their lives. His Majesty's Ambassador to Brazil has also offered condolences to State Governor Eduardo Leite. Through the Start Fund the UK has supported an allocation of £193,000 to provide humanitarian aid in response to the flooding in Brazil. The Start Fund is a pooled fund to which the UK is a major donor.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent comments by the President and government of Argentina regarding the future status of the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to upholding the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination: only they can decide their own future. As the Foreign Secretary made clear on his recent visit to the Falkland Islands, as long as the Islanders wish to remain part of the UK family, there can be no discussions on sovereignty. The UK looks forward to developing a strong and constructive relationship with Argentina where we can agree to disagree politely on the issue of the Falkland Islands, but restart mutually beneficial co-operation on areas of shared interest.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about securing the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and what steps they are taking to promote media freedom globally.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have called for Evan Gershkovich's immediate release. Senior UK officials regularly raise his case with Russian counterparts. The UK also remains in close contact with the US, which is providing consular support. The UK has condemned the Russian state's systematic repression of media freedom in various fora, including the UN Human Rights Council, General Assembly and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). As a co-founder of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK is committed to media freedom and holding to account those who violate or restrict it. Fifty coalition countries work together to promote and protect media freedom globally.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Iran regarding that country's recent missile attacks on Pakistan and Iraq.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK condemned the Iranian regime's attacks in Erbil on 15 January which killed civilians including UK-Iraqi national Karam Mikhael, and against targets in Pakistan on the 16 January. These actions were an unacceptable violation of both Iraq and Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have long condemned Iran's destabilising activity in its neighbourhood and wider region. The Foreign Secretary made clear to the Iranian Foreign Minister on 17 January that Iran must stop using the regional situation as cover to act recklessly and violate the sovereignty of others.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position of the government of Venezuela regarding Guyana's Essequibo region, the security situation in Guyana, and UK's support for the territorial integrity of Guyana.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana. We believe the unilateral actions of Venezuela are unjustified and should cease. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. We continue to work with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.
Minister Rutley visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for its territorial integrity.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what priorities they have identified in their work to promote freedom of religion or belief; and what is in outline the current plan of work for the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK's foremost priority on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is defending FoRB for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities.
We work through international bodies to strengthen coalitions of support and protect FoRB for all. We use our global diplomatic network to encourage States to uphold their human rights obligations, supporting this work with dedicated FoRB programme spend. And we continue to work to embed FoRB considerations across the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, is currently serving as Chair of the 42-country International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), which she is working to grow and strengthen. Alongside her counterparts from other countries, the Special Envoy works through IRFBA to champion FoRB, highlighting international best practice and raising awareness of, and challenging, FoRB violations and abuses across the world.
The Special Envoy works closely with civil society to highlight FoRB issues, and is leading a series of roundtables in the FCDO to strengthen collaboration on FoRB between FCDO officials and civil society.