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Written Question
Military Attachés
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2023 to Question 1027 on Military Attachés, if he will publish an updated list of countries without a resident UK Defence Attache.

Answered by James Heappey

The Global Defence Network (GDN) utilises Resident and Non-Resident Defence Attachés (DA), who engage in Defence diplomacy in over three-quarters of the world’s nations. The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK DA is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility.

Country (NRA)

Location of DA

Angola

Mozambique - Maputo

Anguilla (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Antigua & Barbuda

Jamaica - Kingston

Armenia

Georgia – Tbilisi

Azerbaijan

Georgia – Tbilisi

Bahamas

Jamaica - Kingston

Barbados

Jamaica - Kingston

Belarus

Ukraine – Kyiv

Belize

Jamaica - Kingston

Benin

Accra - Ghana

Bermuda (British overseas territory)

USA – Washington DC

Botswana

Harare - Zimbabwe

British Virgin Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Burkina Faso

Ghana - Accra

Burundi

Uganda – Kampala

Cambodia

(In process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi

Cayman Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica – Kingston

Chad

Cameroon - Yaoundé

Cuba

Mexico – Mexico City

Djibouti

Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

Dominica

Jamaica - Kingston

Dominican Republic

Jamaica - Kingston

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kampala - Uganda

Eritrea

Sana’a - Yemen (temporarily relocated to Riyadh)

Ecuador

Bogota - Colombia

Grenada

Jamaica - Kingston

Guinea

Sierra Leone – Freetown

Guyana

Jamaica - Kingston

Guatemala

Mexico – Mexico City

Guinea-Bissau

Senegal - Dakar

Haiti

Jamaica - Kingston

Hungary

Croatia - Zagreb

Iceland

Norway - Oslo

Ivory Coast

Ghana – Accra

Khartoum

Egypt - Cairo

Kosovo

Macedonia - Skopje

Kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan – Astana

Laos

(in process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi

Lesotho

South Africa - Pretoria

Liberia

Sierra Leone - Freetown

Luxembourg

Belgium - Brussels

Malawi

Zimbabwe – Harare

Mali

Senegal - Dakar

Malta

Rome - Italy

Mauritania

Morocco – Rabat

Monaco

France – Paris

Mongolia

Japan – Tokyo

Myanmar

Thailand - Bangkok

Montserrat (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Namibia

South Africa – Pretoria

Niger

Cameroon – Yaoundé

Papua New Guinea

Australia – Canberra

Paraguay

Argentina – Buenos Aires

Peru

Colombia - Bogota

Rwanda

Uganda – Kampala

Seychelles

Kenya - Nairobi

St Kitts & Nevis

Jamaica - Kingston

St Lucia

Jamaica - Kingston

St Vincent

Jamaica - Kingston

Slovakia

Czech Rep - Prague

Slovenia

Austria – Vienna

South Sudan

Addis Ababa – Ethiopia

Switzerland

Vienna - Austria

Syria

Lebanon - Beirut

Tajikistan

Kazakhstan – Astana

Tanzania

Kenya – Nairobi

The Gambia

Senegal - Dakar

Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Indonesia - Jakarta

Togo

Ghana – Accra

Tonga

Fiji – Suva

Trinidad & Tobago

Jamaica - Kingston

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan - Tashkent

Turks & Caicos Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Uruguay

Argentina - Buenos Aires

Vanuatu

Fiji – Suva

Venezuela

Bogota - Colombia

Zambia

Zimbabwe - Harare

Supported by MOD from in the UK

Cape Verdi Islands

Congo

Gabon

Panama

Puerto Rica


Written Question
Overseas Trade: Western Sahara
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 12605 on Overseas Trade: Morocco, what value of goods was (a) imported from and (b) exported to the occupied territory of Western Sahara in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 23rd February is attached.


Written Question
Morocco: Foreign Relations
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what progress he has made on arranging a meeting between the Moroccan ambassador and investors who lost money in the Paradise Gold and Beach Resort.

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

The UK Government remains committed to doing what it can to help British investors who lost their investments in the Paradise Golf & Beach Resort (PGBR) project, and consistently raises the subject with senior Moroccan Government interlocutors on every appropriate occasion in order to bring a satisfactory conclusion to the matter. This has included encouraging the Moroccan Ambassador in London to engage with British investors directly and to the greatest extent possible.


Written Question
Morocco: Western Sahara
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 12870 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether the Government has made representations to the UN Security Council on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK mission to the United Nations has not made specific representation to the UN Security Council on this matter. However, the UK has consistently supported language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages all parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate.


Written Question
Morocco: Western Sahara
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11223 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether he has had discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to the parties. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards.


Written Question
Overseas Trade: Morocco
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what value of goods was (a) imported from and (b) exported to the Kingdom of Morocco in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1st February is attached.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Visits Abroad
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what the cost to the public purse of his Department's Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 visit to (a) Morocco from 10 to 11, (b) Cameroon from 16 to 17, (c) Ghana from 23 to 24 and (d) Rwanda from 30 to 31 January 2024 was.

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

The UK-Africa Investment Summit Envoy's role was to engage with invited governments on Summit preparations and our bilateral trade and investment partnerships. His visits offered important opportunities to explore and test UK plans and ambition with African partners in advance of the Summit. In January, the Envoy undertook four visits to African countries. The cost of these visits was:

a) Morocco 10-11 January: £653.37

(b) Cameroon 16-17 January: £1,677.71

(c) Ghana 23-24 January: £3,198.23

(d) Rwanda 29-31 January: £4,713.89

The role of the UK-AIS Envoy has been crucial to engaging with African countries on our shared goal of intensifying trade and investment partnerships.


Written Question
Western Sahara: Politics and Government
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of recognising Western Sahara as part of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General and will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process and monitor progress.


Written Question
Morocco: Western Sahara
Wednesday 31st January 2024

Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council to press for the release of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.


Written Question
Morocco: Western Sahara
Wednesday 31st January 2024

Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will ask the UN Secretary General to investigate (a) how many allegations of human rights abuses have been made to the Moroccan National Human Rights Council in Western Sahara and (b) whether those allegations have been investigated.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.