Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing sanctions on perpetrators of oil corruption in Libya.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Oil corruption in Libya hinders the progress on the political process and facilitates the entrenchment of the status quo, threatening Libya's stability and future development. The UK continues to work with partners to tackle issues such as financial transparency and oil smuggling. UN Security Council Resolution 1970 and domestic UK legislation gives the UK the power to sanction individuals and entities who threaten the peace and stability of Libya. It would be inappropriate, however, to speculate on future designations as it could reduce their effectiveness.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps to (a) help support Chagossians to return to British Indian Ocean territory and (b) hold a referendum on the ownership of that territory.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Issues relating to the islands are subject to ongoing negotiations between Mauritius and the UK.
The UK has no plans to hold a referendum regarding the future administration of the islands. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Chagossians wherever they live, including through Government-funded projects in the UK and Mauritius and the new route to British citizenship, launched in November 2022.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what humanitarian support his Department is providing to the civilian population around Goma.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK will continue to support the protection of civilians in and around Goma, including through our £98 million 3-year humanitarian programme for the East of DRC, which delivers life-saving emergency assistance to over 1.1 million people and protects and builds the resilience of the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate he has made of the extent of Rwandan (a) military and (b) financial support for the M23 Tutsi-led rebels in eastern Congo.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are monitoring the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and M23 closely, and continue to raise this with the governments of DRC and Rwanda. We welcome the recent mediation efforts facilitated by the Angola-led Luanda peace process. We continue to urge all parties to commit to further political dialogue.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of a conflict involving (a) South Africa, (b) Burundi, (c) Uganda, (d) Tanzania and (e) Malawi arising from support by Rwanda for the M23 Tutsi-led rebels in eastern Congo.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We regularly raise ongoing regional tensions with the Governments of DRC, Rwanda and members of the SADC at the highest levels. On 28 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke with Rwandan President Kagame to encourage de-escalation and renewed political dialogue, and Lord Benyon raised the importance of regional diplomatic processes with DRC President Tshisekedi, during his visit to Kinshasa on 14 March. On 9 April, the Prime Minister met with President Kagame and underlined the importance of a political process to resolve the situation. Minister Mitchell also raised this issue with President Kagame during his visit to Rwanda on 6 April.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Rwandan counterpart on the escalation in fighting between the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 Tutsi-led rebels in eastern Congo.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 28 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke with Rwandan President Kagame to encourage de-escalation, and Lord Benyon raised the importance of regional diplomatic processes with DRC President Tshisekedi on 14 March. We welcome the recent mediation efforts facilitated by the Angola-led Luanda peace process and continue to urge all parties to commit to further political dialogue. On 9 April, the Prime Minister met with President Kagame and underlined the importance of a political process to resolve the situation. I also raised this issue with President Kagame during my visit to Rwanda on 6 April.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs plans to visit Mongolia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK highly values its relationship with Mongolia. Last year we celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations as the first Western nation to establish relations with Mongolia. We are set to agree a Joint Cooperation Roadmap with Mongolia this year, which will encompass the key aspects of the bilateral relationship. Ministerial travel is announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic support he is providing to Burundi after the closure of that country's border with Rwanda in January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK regrets the impact that the closure of the border between Burundi and Rwanda is having on local communities and hopes to see it reopened. Most recently, the British Ambassador raised these concerns with the Burundian Foreign Minister on 19 March. We encourage the Government of Burundi to engage with Rwanda on this issue and support further dialogue to enable a swift political solution.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for projects to support agricultural businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
DRC's fertile land has enormous agricultural potential, but production is hampered by a number of factors. Improving food security, including through the rehabilitation of agriculture, has a central role in building peace, while contributing to food rural development. The UK contributes to food security, protection and resilience through our £98 million 3-year humanitarian programme for the East of DRC which delivers life-saving emergency assistance to over 1.1 million people.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for sustainable agricultural equipment for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
DRC's fertile land has enormous agricultural potential, but production is hampered by a number of factors. Improving food security, including through the rehabilitation of agriculture, has a central role in building peace, while contributing to food rural development. The UK contributes to food security, protection and resilience through our £98 million 3-year humanitarian programme for the East of DRC which delivers life-saving emergency assistance to over 1.1 million people.