Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 counterparts in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan on the preservation of buildings of Armenian religious significance in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and is in the interests of all peoples of the region and beyond. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict between the states, and in Nagorno-Karabakh. Officials at British Embassy Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural heritage and the need to protect sites of Armenian religious significance with the Azerbaijani government at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 US counterpart on peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Alongside the US, we continue to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise upcoming multilateral meetings to maintain momentum on the peace process to finalise a lasting peace agreement. Officials in London, Baku and Yerevan remain in close contact with our US counterparts regarding peace negotiations. We welcome Secretary Blinken's recent efforts to bring both Foreign Ministers together in the margins of UNGA on 26 September.
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 adequacy of (a) human rights conditions and (b) respect for international law in the South Caucasus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Long-term human rights concerns persist across the whole South Caucasus region. The UK Government regularly raises human rights obligations and commitments with the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as discussing such matters with international counterparts. For example, I [Minister Doughty] spoke to Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili on 9 October. I shared with him my deep concerns about the negative implications of Georgia's recent laws on Transparency and Foreign Influence and on Family Values and highlighted our concerns regarding the pressures being applied to civil society which undermine the Georgian people's ambition for a modern, inclusive and Euro-Atlantic future.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Azerbaijan since July regarding the release of Armenian hostages.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during its longstanding conflict with Armenia, or during September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh, are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. We have been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, throughout the period of conflict in the region. The Foreign Secretary met Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in July and urged them to seize the opportunity to secure an historic peace treaty.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Foreign Secretary's statement in his Progressive Realism newsletter published on 16 September that Azerbaijan has been able to "liberate" territory it lost in the early 1990s, what is their assessment of the current situation in Nagorno–Karabakh.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains steadfast in our support and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The UK Government was clear during the military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 that only peaceful diplomacy, not force, should have been used to resolve conflict. This position has not changed. We will work with Armenia and Azerbaijan to promote a prosperous, peaceful and stable South Caucasus. We will continue to work alongside our trusted international partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure a lasting peace agreement through peaceful negotiations. The UK supported displaced people in the region with £1 million funding to ICRC and we continue to work with partners to ensure humanitarian and other needs are met.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to answer Question 6569 on Armenia: Azerbaijan tabled by the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford on 4 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Minister Doughty] responded to Question 6569 on 14/10/2024.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his article entitled The United Kingdom and the United States, United for Ukraine, published on Substack on 16 September 2024, what his policy is on the use of force by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains steadfast in our support and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The UK Government was clear during the military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 that only peaceful diplomacy, not force, should have been used to resolve conflict. This position has not changed. We will work with Armenia and Azerbaijan to promote a prosperous, peaceful and stable South Caucasus. We will continue to work alongside our trusted international partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure a lasting peace agreement through peaceful negotiations. The UK supported displaced people in the region with £1 million funding to ICRC and we continue to work with partners to ensure humanitarian and other needs are met.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
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 Azerbaijani counterpart on the detention of (a) Ruben Vardanyan and (b) Armenian political prisoners in Baku.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of the detention of Ruben Vardanyan and other ethnic Armenians as a result of September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh. We have consistently urged the Azerbaijani authorities, including ahead of COP29, to ensure that those in detention are afforded a fair trial and are provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. We have been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, from the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. British Embassy Baku regularly raises our concerns with the Azerbaijani authorities at senior levels.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
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 releasing Armenian political prisoners before COP29.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of the detention of Ruben Vardanyan and other ethnic Armenians as a result of September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh. We have consistently urged the Azerbaijani authorities, including ahead of COP29, to ensure that those in detention are afforded a fair trial and are provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. We have been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, from the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. British Embassy Baku regularly raises our concerns with the Azerbaijani authorities at senior levels.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations on page 20 of the report 'Disability Equality in Armenia', published by the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust in April, and in particular, the recommendation for the UK to provide further assistance to refugees from Nagorno–Karabakh in Armenia, including bespoke assistance for refugees with disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains in close contact with the Armenian Government and our international partners to assess humanitarian needs in the region, including for those who have entered Armenia as a result of conflict. We are ready to consider any further requests for assistance where needs are identified by the Armenian authorities and international humanitarian relief organisations.