Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran is refusing to co-operate with the investigation into the alleged storage of nuclear equipment and radioactive material in Tehran.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK fully supports the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) efforts to monitor and verify Iran's nuclear programme under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) as well as related monitoring under Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol. In its last report to the Board of Governors (May 2019) the IAEA confirmed its continued verification and monitoring of the JCPOA. The UK has consistently urged Iran to offer full and timely cooperation to the IAEA: this builds regional and international confidence in the peaceful intentions of its nuclear programme. Iran also has legal obligations to cooperate with the IAEA under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol. We strongly urge Iran to fully comply with its obligations.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of the UK-US relationship.
Answered by Boris Johnson
The UK has a special and enduring relationship with US, the broadest, deepest and strongest of all our bilateral relationships. There are many issues on which we agree and stand alongside each other. The closeness of our relationship also provides us with the opportunity to be honest where we disagree.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of diplomatic relations between Poland and the UK.
Answered by Boris Johnson
Poland and the UK are close allies. As the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) said during November’s UK-Poland intergovernmental consultations: “The relationship between Poland and the United Kingdom is important both for the prosperity and the security of our countries. And as the UK leaves the EU, I am determined to strengthen this partnership”.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Argentina on the future of the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Lord Swire
The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has made clear to President Macri that while we are keen to improve UK-Argentine relations, this does not, and will not, change our position on sovereignty or the Falkland Islanders’ right to self-determination. We shall always defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to determine their own political future.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to support the right of the people of the Falkland Islands to develop their own economy without interference; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future. We will continue to make that clear to Argentina and other countries in the region.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the Falkland Islands of the recent decision by the UN to grant rights over waters surrounding those Islands to Argentina.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has no jurisdiction to consider areas subject to competing claims and therefore has no locus to make recommendations in relation to the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has acknowledged that the CLCS could not consider those parts of the original Argentine submission of 2009 that were subject to dispute. This would include the Falkland Islands.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what response the Government has made to the recent announcement from the government of Argentina on a UN report on the extent of Argentinian rights over the continental shelf in South Atlantic.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has no jurisdiction to consider areas subject to competing claims and therefore has no locus to make recommendations in relation to the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has acknowledged that the CLCS could not consider those parts of the original Argentine submission of 2009 that were subject to dispute. This would include the Falkland Islands.