Asked by: Lord Murray of Blidworth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings the departmental board of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has had since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Details of the attendees, and number of meetings, for all top-level boards and committees at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are published on an annual basis in the FCDO annual report and accounts. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Management Board, chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary, has met 6 times since 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Lord Murray of Blidworth (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 Georgia regarding free speech, the rule of law and its obligations as a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights in its policing of protest.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain severely concerned by democratic backsliding in Georgia, including restrictions on free speech and policing of protests. The Minister of State for Europe and North America raised these issues directly with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Botchorishvili on 16 October and with Georgian Dream 1st Deputy Foreign Minister Zurabashvili on 21 October, and the UK is also supporting efforts in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Council of Europe to press Georgia to adhere to democratic norms.