Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking at the UN to press for international sanctions on Venezuela over its dispute with Guyana.

On 30 November, the Foreign Secretary discussed Venezuela's steps with respect to the region of Essequibo in Guyana with President Ali of Guyana. We believe the unilateral actions of Venezuela are unjustified and should cease. The UK is clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The UK has sanctioned 41 Venezuelans under our Venezuela Autonomous, Global Human Rights and Global Anti-Corruption frameworks. We do not have sectoral sanctions on Venezuela and are not at present considering changes to our sanctions position. It is a longstanding policy that we do not comment on future sanctions designations as to do so may reduce their impact. We keep our sanctions under review and reserve the right to introduce further measures.