Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 Azerbaijani counterparts on the recent blockade in the Lachin corridor and its humanitarian impact.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has made clear that the closure of the Lachin corridor during winter risks severe humanitarian consequences. I [Minister Docherty] issued a statement highlighting the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor on 13 December and our Ambassadors in the region and other senior UK officials have reinforced this message with key interlocutors. We also called for early resolution of this issue in our interventions in Vienna at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 15 December and in New York at the UN Security Council on 20 December. We engage regularly with the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia and urge them to abide by all ceasefire commitments in good faith. This is consistent with our support for international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the US government on closing the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has not had recent discussions with the government of the United States of America on closing the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
The UK Government's long-standing position is that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should close.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Turkey on (a) assaults in the regions of North and East Syria and (b) the possibility of an invasion in those regions.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are closely monitoring the situation in northern Syria. FCDO Ministers and senior officials engage with Turkey regularly on regional security and stability. The Foreign Secretary met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on 30 November in the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministerial.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 Iranian counterpart about the imposition of the death penalty on protestors in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The sentencing to death of protestors in Iran is abhorrent. Minister Rutley condemned this tragic development in the House on 16 November. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and will challenge the Iranian regime's violent response to protests. On 14 November, the UK sanctioned 24 individuals for violations of human rights in the repression of protests. This is on top of sanctions on 10 October against Iran's 'so called' morality police and seven security officials. On 24 November, the UK supported a successful Human Rights Council resolution to establish a UN investigation into the regime's appalling human rights violations. The FCDO is also working closely with the United States and partners to seek the removal of Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on the potential move of the UK’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 potential merits of the UK Embassy in Israel remaining in Tel Aviv.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on a potential move of the UK’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his East African counterparts on the hunger crisis in East Africa; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing £900 million of funding to the UN humanitarian appeals for (a) Ethiopia,(b) Kenya, (c) Somalia and (d) South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In FY 2022/23 the UK intends to provide approximately £156 million in humanitarian aid across the region.
The FCDO is prioritising spending that is vital to protect against immediate threat to life and wellbeing and spending that will prevent people falling into humanitarian need. As a priority we will prevent delays to accessing healthcare, primary education, sanitation and clean water. Ministers will make adjustments and final aid prioritisation decisions based on additional Official Development Assistance pressures this autumn.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterparts on acts of violence against protesters in that country.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK is committed to holding Iran to account: on 10 October we sanctioned the so-called Morality Police and seven individuals for serious human rights violations. On 3 October, we summoned Iran's most senior official in the UK to the FCDO to underline Iran must respect the right to peaceful assembly. The UK Government's position is clear: instead of blaming external actors for unrest, Iranian authorities should take responsibility and listen to the concerns of their people. The UK will continue to work with our partners to hold the Iranian authorities to account for their flagrant violations of universal human rights.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) his international counterparts on the establishment of an international loss and damage fund ahead of COP27.
Answered by Vicky Ford
At COP26, a 'Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage' was established to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. The Santiago Network (a platform for catalysing technical assistance on loss and damage for developing countries) was also progressed through the agreement of clear functions and funding. The UK participates in both the Glasgow Dialogue and Santiago Network at official representative level with a view to making both effective. Ministers will continue to engage on Loss and Damage including at COP27, to ensure that the important dialogues and progress on this issue that happened in Glasgow are built on.