Myanmar: Arms Trade

(asked on 2nd March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take diplomatic steps to encourage the 119 countries who signed the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the 18 June 2021, which calls upon all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar, to put unilateral arms embargoes in place.


Answered by
Amanda Milling Portrait
Amanda Milling
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This question was answered on 11th March 2022

The UK is a longstanding supporter of an arms embargo on Myanmar. The UK helped secure an EU arms embargo on Myanmar following the 2017 Rohingya crisis. On 18 June 2021, the UK worked to secure an unprecedented UN General Assembly Resolution, signed up to by 119 countries, which committed to preventing the flow of arms to Myanmar.

We coordinated a joint statement on the one year anniversary of the February 2021 coup with 36 signatories which reiterated support for Myanmar's democratic transition, called for an end to violence and to cease the sale and transfer of arms. We also have extensive targeted sanctions on the military and its business interests, including on multiple institutions responsible for procuring weapons from abroad. We are working closely with partners on next steps, including securing further commitments from the international community on the transfer of arms, equipment and spare parts to the military.

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