Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made for the implications of his Department's policies of reported irregularities in the Serbian parliamentary elections held on 17 December 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK contributed a strong contingent to the combined international mission observing last month's Serbian Parliamentary elections, alongside support for local election observation. The UK shares concerns over serious election irregularities. Serbia should investigate these swiftly and effectively, including addressing allegations of election-related violence, and implement the recommendations of the International Election Observation Mission. We hope for swift central government formation to make early progress, including on normalisation of relations with Kosovo.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department plans to take steps with the US and Norway to undertake election monitoring in South Sudan before the South Sudanese elections in December 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK, and Troika (US, UK and Norway) have been engaged in South Sudan's peace process since the signing of the revitalised peace agreement in 2018. We collectively urge the Government of South Sudan to implement the terms of the Agreement, including free and fair elections. Our Joint Troika Statement on Sudan and South Sudan on 27 June emphasised the urgent need for the Government of South Sudan to make enough progress to allow elections to happen. The UK also funds the placement of technical experts in both the ceasefire and peace agreement implementation monitoring mechanisms, which play an important part in South Sudan's Peace Agreement and help hold the parties to their commitments.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many National Security Council meetings at Ministerial level there have been since 1 September 2023.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
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 had discussions with his counterparts in the EU on the UK rejoining the EUFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina before it was renewed on 2 November 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The former Foreign Secretary spoke regularly with his EU counterparts about European security, including peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). While the UK has not sought to re-join European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) Operation Althea, we recognise EUFOR's vital importance to BiH's peace and security, and worked closely with international partners to secure the renewal of its mandate in the UN Security Council. We continue to support security and stability in BiH through our bilateral contributions, including support to the BiH Armed Forces. Personnel from the First Royal Anglian are currently in BiH, training with their Bosnian counterparts.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the UK's national threat level following the recent (a) Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and (b) Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UK National Threat Level remains at Substantial meaning an attack is likely and will continue to be reviewed to ensure it accurately reflects the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK.
Considerations have and continue to be made in light of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to re-join the EUFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the event that the mandate for that force is extended in November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Operation EUFOR Althea remains vital to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) peace and security and the UK will support its mandate renewal in the UN Security Council in November. We continue to support security and stability in BiH through our contributions to NATO HQ in Sarajevo and through an extensive programme of bilateral support to the BiH Armed Forces.
We will keep the UK position on re-joining EUFOR under review - this would require approval from all EU member states.
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 plans that the UK will re-join the EUFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina if its mandate is extended by the UN in November.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
EUFOR Operation Althea remains vital to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) peace and security and the UK will support its mandate renewal in the UN Security Council in November. We continue to explore options for supporting the security of BiH both through bilateral support to the BiH Armed Forces and through NATO HQ in Sarajevo. The UK Government has supported BiH Ministry of Defence to increase its capabilities, including in the areas of gender integration, officer training and international interoperability.
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 it remains his policy to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK fully supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) sovereignty and territorial integrity. In 2022 we sanctioned Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović, for threating the Dayton Peace Agreement and the integrity of the BiH State. The UK Government works in partnership with a number of BiH civil society organisations, such as the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, in their efforts to promote reconciliation and inter-ethnic dialogue in BiH and across the region. We will continue to support those working for a safe, prosperous and united BiH.
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 steps his Department is taking to support the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK fully supports the High Representative. In a statement on 8 September the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, the Lord Peach, made clear that attacks by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik against the High Representative were illegal and anti-constitutional. We welcome the decision by the state prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take legal action against Dodik for his failure to implement the decisions of the High Representative.
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 steps his Department is taking to help improve the security situation ahead of the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in December 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government has a long-standing commitment to supporting prosperity, development, and stability in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UK is working with stakeholders to support the delivery of elections this year. We continue to emphasise the need for these to be free, fair, inclusive and transparent. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC at the highest levels in Kinshasa, Kigali and the wider region. We continue to urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the regional Nairobi and Luanda peace processes. We firmly believe these regional peace processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace in eastern DRC and offer them our full support.