Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many export licences for military goods for export to Kazakhstan her Department has granted; and if she will provide details of the items approved for export.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) on export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK containing detailed information including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences.
The most recent publication was on 12th October 2021, covering the period 1st April – 30th June 2021. Information covering 1st July – 30th September 2021 will be published later this month and information covering 1st October 2020 – 31st December 2020 will be published in April.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent on projects via the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund for projects in (a) Kazakhstan, (b) Belarus, (c) Ukraine and (d) Bosnia and Herzegovina in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) spend in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan and Ukraine over the last five years is provided in the table below. These figures include discretionary Official Development Assistance and non-Official Development Assessments spend in these countries through the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the Good Governance Fund portfolios. These totals do not include some cross regional and thematic spend which cannot be disaggregated by country.
Country | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
Belarus | £0 | £67,755 | £320,000 | £367,592 | £2,727,553 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | £8,542,836 | £4,304,129 | £10,101,622 | £10,709,074 | £6,239,830 |
Kazakhstan | £219,150 | £362,739 | £463,952 | £541,038 | £411,162 |
Ukraine | £22,879,996 | £25,473,635 | £22,168,488 | £30,236,049 | £33,386,420 |
Projects have included, election observation, domestic violence response and provision of medical supplies during COVID-19 in Belarus, improving the ability of law enforcement agencies and seeking care, support and justice for survivors of conflict related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and election monitoring in Kazakhstan. CSSF Ukraine is a key component of the UK’s commitment to Ukraine's security, encompassing security and defence training, support against disinformation efforts, and to civil society.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current political and security situation in Kazakhstan, following the recent protests and violent unrest in the country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is closely following events in Kazakhstan. We greatly regret the loss of life and injuries sustained as a result of recent unrest and condemn the violence and destruction of property that occurred, particularly in the city of Almaty. The reasons behind the violence remain unclear, although we note that President Tokayev has characterised what happened as an 'attempted coup'. We also take note of the President's decision to establish an investigative commission and await a full account of what led to these unprecedented events and loss of life. I was assured by President Tokayev's Special Representative, Ambassador Kazykhan, that the work of the commission would be transparent and effective.
The Government's long-standing position is that legitimate protest must be peaceful and genuine grievances resolved through dialogue. We have called for law enforcement responses to be proportionate, and for freedom of speech and expression to be respected in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments. We will continue to underline these points in our engagement with the Kazakh Government, as we seek to understand the chain of events and to ensure that human rights are upheld.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many human rights and social media activists they believe to have been arrested in Kazakhstan in the last month; what is known about their status and wellbeing; and what estimate they have made of the number of fatalities involving protestors.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports that human rights activists and social media activists were among those detained during recent unrest in Kazakhstan and we are seeking further information from the authorities.
In recent meetings with the Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan, the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Kazakh Ambassador to the UK, I underlined the importance of respect for international human rights obligations, including commitments to freedom of speech and expression. I also sought assurances that due process will be followed as those who were arrested are processed through the Kazakh judicial system.
We greatly regret the loss of life during the recent violent clashes. We are aware of figures from official sources that indicate that as many as 225 were killed in addition to 19 law enforcement officers. Many hundreds are reported to have been injured. We have urged the Kazakh authorities to make available further information, including numbers of casualties, as part of a thorough and transparent investigation into the causes and consequences of recent events.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 July 2021 (HL2253), whether OneWeb is still using the Soyuz launcher at Vostochny in Russia for heavy launches; and what plans they have, if any, to use other facilities instead of Russian ones.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
OneWeb’s launches are currently contracted with Arianespace, a French-headquartered multinational company. Arianespace use Russian launch vehicles, launching from the Far-East in Russia and Kazakhstan.
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 representations she has made to her counterpart in Kazakhstan on reported unlawful killings and excessive use of force by security forces against people protesting against deteriorating living standards and the repression of peaceful protest.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We are deeply concerned by the violent clashes witnessed in Kazakhstan in early January and greatly regret the loss of life. We condemn the acts of violence and destruction of property seen, particularly in the city of Almaty. The reasons behind the violence remain unclear, although we note that President Tokayev has characterised what happened as an 'attempted coup'. We also take note of the President's decision to establish an investigative commission and await a full account of what led to these unprecedented events and loss of life. We continue to engage directly with the Kazakh authorities to gain further insights into the chain of events and information about those who have been reported as detained, missing or dead. We are also in contact with human rights and other civil society organisations.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon spoke with the Kazakh Ambassador to the UK on 6 January, with Deputy Foreign Minister Alimbayev on 7 January and with President Tokayev's Special Representative, Erzhan Kazykhan, on 14 January. During these meetings, he underlined the importance of law enforcement responses being proportionate, that due process is followed in the judicial system, and that freedom of speech and expression are respected in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the recent violent unrest against protestors in Kazakhstan.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government is closely following events in Kazakhstan. We greatly regret the loss of life and injuries sustained as a result of recent unrest and condemn the violence and destruction of property that occurred, particularly in the city of Almaty. The reasons behind the violence remain unclear, although we note that President Tokayev has characterised what happened as an 'attempted coup'. We also take note of the President's decision to establish an investigative commission and await a full account of what led to these unprecedented events and loss of life. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, was assured by President Tokayev's Special Representative, Ambassador Kazykhan, that the work of the commission would be transparent and effective.
The Government's long-standing position is that legitimate protest must be peaceful and genuine grievances resolved through dialogue. We have called for law enforcement responses to be proportionate, and for freedom of speech and expression to be respected in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments. We will continue to underline these points in our engagement with the Kazakh government, as we seek to understand the chain of events and to ensure that human rights are upheld.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) (a) civil, and (b) political, unrest in Kazakhstan, and (2) the involvement of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation as peacekeepers.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is deeply concerned by, and condemns, the violence and destruction of property in Kazakhstan in early January, particularly in the city of Almaty. The Government greatly regrets the loss of life and sends its condolences to families of the deceased. We have noted President Tokayev's speeches at the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Summit on 10 January and to the Kazakh parliament on 11 January, where he described the events in Almaty and other cities across Kazakhstan as an attempted coup. We continue to engage directly with the Kazakh authorities to gain further insights into the chain of events.
We have been clear that any international forces should have a clear mission, be time limited and proportionate in any use of force. It is also important that Kazakhstan's sovereignty is respected. President Tokayev informed the Kazakh parliament on 11 January that a phased withdrawal of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent would begin shortly. All of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are now reported to have left Kazakhstan and other CSTO forces are returning to their home countries.
I spoke with the Kazakh Ambassador to the UK on 6 January, with Deputy Foreign Minister Alimbayev on 7 January and with President Tokayev's Special Representative, Erzhan Kazykhan, on 14 January. During these meetings, I underlined the importance of law enforcement responses being proportionate, that due process is followed in the judicial system, and that freedom of speech and expression are respected in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political and security situation in Kazakhstan.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I am deeply concerned by, and condemn, the violence and destruction of property in Kazakhstan during the past week, particularly in the city of Almaty. The Government greatly regrets the loss of life and sends its condolences to families of the deceased. The reasons behind the violence in Almaty remain unclear. We are continuing to speak with the Kazakh authorities to gain further insights. President Tokayev stated that peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) would remain in Kazakhstan for a short period of time to assist in re-establishing constitutional order, and we understand that CSTO troops have now begun their withdrawal. It is important that any forces deployed have a clear mission, are time-limited and be proportionate in any use of force to defend the legitimate security interests of the state. It is also important that Kazakhstan's sovereignty is respected.
We have been clear in our communications with the Kazakh government that the right to peaceful protest should be protected. The UK's Ambassador to Kazakhstan and her team in Nur-Sultan are in contact with the Kazakh authorities and will continue to engage in the coming days. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon spoke with the Kazakh Ambassador to the UK on 6 January, with Deputy Foreign Minister Alimbayev on 7 January, and with the Kazakh President's Special Representative, H.E. Erzhan Kazykhan, on 14 January. As the situation stabilises, we will continue to engage our Kazakh counterparts to gain insights into the nature of the threat they have faced.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people holding (a) Russian, (b) Kazakhstan, (c) Belarus, (d) Uzbekistan and (e) Turkmenistan citizenship have been sanctioned under the Magnitsky sanctions regime in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Since the UK's Global Human Rights Sanctions regime was established in July 2020, we have designated 75 individuals and 6 entities under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. We have also designated 27 individuals under the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime since it was established in April 2021. The full UK Sanctions List is available on GOV.UK website (www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list), which provides details of those individuals and entities designated under sanctions regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act.