Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise upcoming multilateral meetings to maintain momentum on the peace process, and to finalise a lasting peace agreement. Alongside our international partners, the UK stands ready to support them in doing so. The Foreign Secretary spoke with both Foreign Ministers on 18 July at the European Political Community summit, where he made clear our support for both countries. I [Minister Doughty] also spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on 11 October and Azerbaijan Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October to reiterate our support.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan on Armenians detained in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during its conflict with Armenia, or during September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh, are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. We have been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, throughout the period of conflict in the region. I raised these issues most recently with Azerbaijan Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October. The Foreign Secretary met Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in July and urged them to seize the opportunity to secure an historic peace treaty.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan on the preservation of buildings of Armenian religious significance in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and is in the interests of all peoples of the region and beyond. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict between the states, and in Nagorno-Karabakh. Officials at British Embassy Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural heritage and the need to protect sites of Armenian religious significance with the Azerbaijani government at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Alongside the US, we continue to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise upcoming multilateral meetings to maintain momentum on the peace process to finalise a lasting peace agreement. Officials in London, Baku and Yerevan remain in close contact with our US counterparts regarding peace negotiations. We welcome Secretary Blinken's recent efforts to bring both Foreign Ministers together in the margins of UNGA on 26 September.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 effectiveness of international coordination on supporting (a) peace, (b) human rights and (c) democracy in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working with a wide range of partners, including Gulf and African countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN, to take forward a sustained and meaningful peace process that leads to the resumption of civilian rule in Sudan. We continue to support mediation efforts and urge both warring parties to engage constructively to secure a ceasefire and ensure humanitarian access.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart regarding (a) security and (b) human rights in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Pakistan closely and regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 27 June to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes, human rights and adherence to the rule of law. He spoke with the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for Pakistani minorities on 5 September. In a letter to caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani on 21 August, Lord Ahmad emphasised the need for Pakistan's citizens to be able to exercise their democratic rights and participate in peaceful, inclusive, credible elections.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghan nationals have been relocated from bridging hotels in Pakistan to the UK in 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As of 6 July, 45 individuals eligible under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have been relocated from Pakistan to the UK in 2023.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total cost of accommodation and meals was for (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme cases in Pakistan between April 2022 and July 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The cost incurred by HMG in providing accommodation and meals in Pakistan, between April 2022 and June 2023, to individuals eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was approximately £21.4 million, and under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3 was approximately £690,000.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to provide consular support to people who have been trafficked to Libya whilst fleeing Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Consular support is severely limited in Libya and the British Embassy in Tripoli does not provide consular services. To date, the FCDO has not received any requests for consular assistance in Libya from British nationals who have been smuggled from Sudan. Should we be approached, the British Embassy in Tunis stands ready to provide consular support to British nationals where possible, but this is severely limited.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of (a) how many people were trafficked to Libya while fleeing Sudan and (b) how many such people were awaiting a visa decision on resettlement to the UK.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As of 14 June, over 500,000 people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out, with an estimated 1,318 having fled to Libya. This UN figure relates to the number of people who have crossed neighbouring borders, rather than those who have been trafficked. In total, there were 9,812 UK visa applications from Sudanese Nationals between March 2022/23. The Home Office are monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that we are able to respond appropriately. The UK's current resettlement schemes allow us to support the most vulnerable refugees direct from regions of conflict and instability.