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Written Question
Democratic Republic of Congo: Rwanda
Friday 8th March 2024

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Rwandan counterpart on the M23 rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo border region.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We regularly raise the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the governments of DRC and Rwanda. We continue to urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda regional peace processes. I [Minister Mitchell] raised this with President Kagame and Foreign Minister Biruta during my visit to Rwanda in late August, and we continue to engage on this issue via our High Commission. The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes recently participated in a UN-led trip to the region alongside French and US counterparts, to encourage de-escalation and a return to regional peace processes over military solutions.


Written Question
Cyprus: Land Mines
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the cooperation proposal by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus entitled De-mining the Island of Cyprus, dated 1 July 2022; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Republic of Cyprus’s rejection of that proposal.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. The UK is unequivocal in its support for a mine-free Cyprus and, in line with the UN Security Council, continues to urge the leaders of both communities to agree a plan to achieve this. It remains for the leaders to determine the details of this cooperation.


Written Question
Cyprus: Land Mines
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the proposal made on 8 July 2022 by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on cooperation to de-mine that island.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. In line with UN Security Council calls, the UK continues to urge the leaders of both communities to agree a plan to achieve a mine-free Cyprus and overcome existing barriers to this work. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement is the best chance of resolving this issue and our commitment to support this through the UN-led process remains unwavering.


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Armed Conflict
Wednesday 5th July 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Azerbaijani counterpart on the (a) closure of the Lachin Corridor and (b) attack on a metallurgical plant under construction in Yeraskh.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK Government has publicly highlighted the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor and addressing related humanitarian concerns. I [Minister Docherty] visited Baku on 22-23 February to meet with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government, including Foreign Minister Bayramov, and called for the re-opening of the Lachin corridor in those meetings. In addition, when the Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Docherty] hosted Foreign Minister Bayramov in London for the 5th UK-Azerbaijan Strategic Dialogue on 21-22 June, we welcomed recent progress towards a peaceful settlement in the conflict with Armenia.


Written Question
Greece: EOKA
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

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 Greek Cypriot counterpart on the President's recent statements on the historic role of the Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with his Cypriot counterpart on President Christodoulides's recent statements on the historic role of the Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA/eɪˈoʊkə). The UK Government deeply regrets the suffering endured by both communities as a result of inter-communal violence during the Cyprus Emergency (1955-1959). We continue to believe a just and lasting settlement on the island is the best chance of resolving these complex issues. The UK's commitment to helping the sides achieve this remains unwavering.


Written Question
Cyprus: Politics and Government
Tuesday 4th April 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

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 (a) trade and (b) other benefits of recognising the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. The United Kingdom recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority for the island of Cyprus. Several UN Security Council Resolutions and other multilateral agreements also limit links between the UK and the north of Cyprus. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus is the best means of resolving the difficulties caused by the division of the island.


Written Question
Cyprus: Fossil Fuels
Tuesday 4th April 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the prospects of cooperation between the UK, Northern Cyprus, the Republic of Cyprus and Turkiye on the exploitation of hydrocarbons.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We support the Republic of Cyprus' sovereign right to exploit any oil and gas in its internationally-agreed Exclusive Economic Zone, and believe that Cyprus' hydrocarbon development should be for the benefit of all Cypriots. We oppose any drilling in Cypriot waters that is at odds with those sovereign rights. We believe the most enduring way of resolving any tensions related to the exploitation of hydrocarbons is to achieve a Cyprus settlement. We call on all parties to redouble their efforts in pursuit of this.


Written Question
Turkey: Armenia
Monday 2nd November 2020

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Turkish forces have been involved in recent attacks on the civilian population in Armenia.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The UK has not seen any evidence that Turkish forces have been involved in attacks on civilian populations in Armenia. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Çavusoglu on 19 October. Both parties agreed the need for de-escalation.


Written Question
Sri Lanka: Water
Thursday 25th June 2020

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart on the contamination of the water supply in the Jaffna Peninsula from the Chunnakam Power Plant.

Answered by Nigel Adams

We are aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality and the unique challenges faced by communities in northern Sri Lanka. Staff at the British High Commission in Colombo have raised the issue of water quality during regular visits to the North. A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka, including the national water supply and drainage board, have conducted tests and compensation was offered to those affected by water pollution caused by the Chunnakam Power plant. We will continue to engage with local government in the North to ensure these concerns around water management and quality are understood, and that measures are taken to ensure clean water.


Written Question
China: Organs
Thursday 11th June 2020

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Chinese Government on the findings of the investigation into organ harvesting carried out by the China Tribunal chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice.

Answered by Nigel Adams

We have noted the findings of the recent China Tribunal report. The testimonies added to the growing body of evidence about the disturbing situation that Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs and other minorities are facing in China. The Government's position remains that, if true, the practice of systematic, state-sponsored organ harvesting would constitute a serious violation of human rights.

We regularly raise our human rights concerns with China, including on the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities. The Foreign Secretary did so most recently on 9 March with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.