Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the political and security situation in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continue to raise the situation in Ukraine with our European counterparts. On 28-29 November, the Foreign Secretary attended the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, where he set out UK ambition on Ukraine and the need to increase defence industrial production. At the NATO-Ukraine Council, he emphasised that Allies must sustain their support and continue taking practical steps towards Ukraine's membership. In Brussels, he discussed support for Ukraine with Maros Sefcovic, Vice-President of the European Commission. On 29 November, the Foreign Secretary met foreign ministers before the The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council, emphasising that the UK would continue to stand with Ukraine and provide moral, diplomatic, economic and military support.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect British Dual Nationals from Israel.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety and security of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we are doing everything we can to support all British nationals, including dual nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We can confirm that more than 200 people, including British Nationals and their dependants, have left Gaza, with onward support to Cairo. We are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals that want to leave are cleared and able to cross the Rafah Border.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the potential merits of introducing additional sanctions against Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly engages with international counterparts, including the US, on Russia sanctions. Earlier this month, the former Foreign Secretary joined G7 foreign ministers in Tokyo where they reaffirmed their commitment to increase economic pressure on Russia and reinforce coordination on sanctions. This means implementing further sanctions, including those to which the UK committed at the G7 earlier this year. With the EU and US, we also undertake joint diplomatic outreach in countries where we are seeing spikes in trade of sanctioned goods with Russia.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Australian counterpart on China.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific. Our close partnership with Australia is an important part of this, and we regularly discuss Indo-Pacific collaboration at senior official and Ministerial levels. We work closely with Australia as members of the Commonwealth, Five Eyes, the G20 and the UN. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for his Department’s policies of the Russian drone attacks against Ukraine on 17 and 18 November 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are appalled by Russia's drone attacks across Ukraine. Intentionally targeting civilians and civilian objects constitute war crimes. Those responsible will be held to account. On 16 November, the Foreign Secretary travelled to Kyiv for his first overseas visit to underline the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine against Russia's aggression. Alongside our allies we are providing Ukraine with critical air defence systems to protect civilians from Putin's barbaric bombing campaign, including the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin, a platform which can track and destroy drones and protect critical national infrastructure.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for his policies of reports that the Nigerian Supreme Court is being pressured by the Nigerian Federal Government to prevent the release of British citizen Nnamdi Kanu.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are aware of the Nigerian Supreme Court hearing on Mr Nnamdi Kanu's case, due to take place on 15 December 2023. We are closely following all developments regarding Mr Kanu's case, including the outcome of this hearing. The FCDO will continue to take the steps we consider most effective regarding our consular assistance to Mr Kanu and will keep these under review.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 Nigeria if Nnamdi Kanu is not released.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Ministers and officials have raised Nnamdi Kanu's case with the Nigerian authorities on multiple occasions. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will take the steps we consider most effective regarding our consular assistance to Mr Kanu and will keep these under review, as has been done in the past. We do not speculate on future sanctions as doing so can limit their impact.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the imprisonment of Narges Mohammadi in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to closely monitor the case of Narges Mohammadi. We raise human rights issues at all appropriate opportunities bilaterally with Iran and in international fora, and we continue to work with the international community to press Iran to improve its dire human rights record. The UK government has announced ten rounds of human rights sanctions since 2022, most recently on 15 September 2023. Our sanctions target political, security and prison officials involved in the repression of protests, torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners, unfair trial processes and the use of the death penalty. At the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, the UK co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution which set out our serious concerns about Iran's continued human rights abuses. Following their meeting in Tokyo earlier this month, G7 foreign ministers issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the sentencing of (a) Niloufar Hamedi and (b) Elaheh Mohammadi in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country and we raise human rights issues with Iran at all appropriate opportunities. The sentencing of Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi demonstrates the brutal reality of life in Iran for journalists. As a Media Freedom Coalition member, we continue to stress the protection of journalists as a key pillar of human rights infrastructure, and to call for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained journalists. We continue to hold the Iranian authorities to account for their treatment of women. In September, we imposed sanctions on decision-makers responsible for drafting and implementing Iran's mandatory hijab law.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 18 October 2023 to question 199965 on Nnamdi Kanu, what assessment he has made of the implications for his position on Mr Nnamdi Kanu of Opinion No. 25/2022 of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-third session, between 30 March and 8 April 2022, published on 17 August 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British Government takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinion in this case very seriously. Ministers and officials have raised Nnamdi Kanu's case with the Nigerian authorities on multiple occasions. The former Foreign Secretary last raised his case with the then Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama on 14 March 2023 and the British High Commissioner raised the case with the Nigerian Attorney General and National Security Advisor on 24 and 30 October 2023 respectively. FCDO officials continue to be in regular contact with representatives of Mr Kanu in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary continues to take the steps he considers most effective regarding our consular assistance to Mr Kanu and keeps these under review.