Belarus: Interception of Aircraft

Huw Merriman Excerpts
Monday 24th May 2021

(2 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Dominic Raab Portrait Dominic Raab
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Asylum has been raised already. The criteria in the asylum regime are reflective of international law and are fit for purpose. The evidence of this regime’s despicable actions means that those who want to apply for asylum in this country are able to do so and will get the fair hearing and due process that our system allows.

Huw Merriman Portrait Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)
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The Foreign Secretary is quite right to call for the International Civil Aviation Organisation to take action. Given that its aim is to sit at the centre of a system of safety and security standards for its 193 members and given that Belarus is a member, will he call for ICAO to look at Belarus’s continued membership of such an esteemed international organisations?

Dominic Raab Portrait Dominic Raab
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I certainly agree that ICAO must discharge its duties. This is a dramatic but seminal moment for it to stand up for the values that we are all trying to safeguard in relation to civil aviation. We will look very closely with our partners at the mechanisms and levers available to us within ICAO and will take as rigorous and robust an approach as we can.