Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made o the driving license exchange between the UK and Republic of Kosovo.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK does allow the exchange of driving licences with certain countries, but Kosovo is not currently a designated country for this scheme. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has received a request from the Embassy of Kosovo to consider a possible reciprocal driving licence exchange agreement and is providing the necessary information to progress this.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the steps taken by the US Government to sanction (a) GCL-Poly, (b) Longi Solar, (c) Hongyuan New Material Co. and (d) Tongwei Solar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to tackling the issue of Uyghur forced labour in supply chains and is taking robust action. We have previously imposed sanctions on a range of Chinese actors responsible for the human rights violations in Xinjiang, in coordination with international partners. Sanctions are just one tool at our disposal, and we have also taken wider action including providing guidance to business, introducing enhanced export controls, announcing penalties under the Modern Slavery Act, and mobilising international support to hold China to account. The Government will continue to impress upon China the need to end serious human rights violations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of reports that Republika Srpska will end diplomatic relations with the US and UK.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
On 17 March and on the back of false claims, President of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Dodik, announced a non-legally binding RS government decision to prevent all contact with the British and US Embassies. He has also pushed retrograde legislative moves in the RS. His authoritarian actions move BiH away from its Euro-Atlantic path. Together with our allies, we continue to support alternative voices and to strengthen BiH's democracy.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2023 to Question 119063 on Serbia: Wagner Group, whether his Department has taken recent steps to assess whether the Wagner Group has opened an office in Belgrade.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continue to monitor and assess reports of Wagner Group activity in Serbia, drawing on a range of sources and discussions with Serbian counterparts. On 16 January, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denied reports that the Wagner Group has a presence in Serbia. The Serbian government has said it will prosecute any Serbian nationals who travel to fight in foreign wars. The UK will continue to raise concerns about Russia's destabilising activity in the region with the Serbian government.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the paramilitary Wagner Group is currently operating in (a) Kosovo and (b) Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We will oppose Russian attempts to destabilise the region. We are aware of unconfirmed media reporting that Wagner Group has been operating in north Kosovo during the recent heightened tensions and are in regular contact with NATO's Kosovo Force who continue to investigate and monitor the situation closely. There are also unconfirmed reports that citizens from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have been recruited by groups like Wagner, but we have no evidence that the group is operating on BiH territory.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received evidence of the Russian Federation offering (a) financial, (b) arms, (c) manpower and (d) other support for Republika Srpska's secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has heightened the risk of instability in the Western Balkans. We will oppose Russian attempts to destabilise the region. The UK condemns any steps towards "de facto secession" by Republika Srpska by Milorad Dodik, who has met Putin on two occasions since February 2022 to seek Russian support. Attempts to undermine the integrity and functioning of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are dangerous and risk conflict. On 11 April 2022, the Government imposed sanctions against those driving secessionist policies in BiH. We will consider targeting others who continue these actions.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received evidence of the Republika Srpska region of Bosnia and Herzegovina providing (a) financial support (b) arms (c) manpower and (d) other equipment for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have not seen evidence of Republika Srpska (RS) entity offering practical support to Russia in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Milorad Dodik and other politicians in the RS have blocked BiH from implementing sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. Dodik has met Putin on multiple occasions since February 2022 in search of Russian support. The UK has condemned the RS authorities' decision to award Vladimir Putin the RS medal of honour. We have made clear that the award is unjustifiable and risks further isolating those RS politicians involved.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had formal discussions with representatives of the Serbian Government on the opening of a Wagner Group branch in Belgrade, Serbia in December 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly discuss the implications and impact of Russia's activity in the Western Balkans region and beyond with Serbian Ministers and officials, including during my [Minister for Europe] recent visit to Serbia, and when the Foreign Secretary met his Serbian counterpart last month. We will always oppose Russian attempts to destabilise the region. We are aware of unconfirmed reports that the Wagner Group has opened a branch in Belgrade and that some Serbian nationals have connections with that organisation.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will supply generators to Ukraine's meat industry to ensure continued supplies of meat despite damage to the Ukrainian energy grid.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is the third largest bilateral humanitarian donor to Ukraine, providing £220 million in humanitarian assistance including more than 850 mobile generators. Our latest £16 million package will help provide the most vulnerable with shelter, water and energy during winter. The UK has committed £10 million to the Energy Community's Ukraine Support Fund, to help Ukraine's efforts to repair infrastructure and reconnect households and key facilities to electricity and gas supply. The Prime Minister recently announced £4 million for the International Organisation for Migration in Ukraine. This new support includes the provision of generators for households and collective centres.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has discussed the treatment of Syrian detainees in Sednaya prison with her international counterparts; and whether he is taking steps to help secure the release of those detainees.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We are appalled by the human rights situation in Syria, especially Sednaya. We are committed to highlighting the mistreatment of detainees in Sednaya prison. Since 2012 we have contributed over £14 million in support to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations. The UK is the penholder for the Syria Human Rights Council Resolution, which was adopted in September. We also use our position at the UN Security Council to draw international attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Syria, including within prisons. At the Security Council this month, we will call for the release of detainees and condemn these violations.