Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Latin America on the political and economic situation in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.
I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the political and economic situation in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.
I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed the political and economic situation in Venezuela with the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.
I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Venezuela on the political situation in that country.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.
I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and economic situation in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We share the concerns of the international community about the deteriorating political and economic situation in Venezuela. Economic mismanagement is producing inflation and shortages of basic goods, with a significant impact upon ordinary Venezuelans. Venezuela became an FCO Human Rights Priority Country in 2016. President Maduro has requested United Nations assistance to boost medical supplies.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for the OAS Democratic Charter to be invoked unless the Venezuelan Government calls elections and releases political prisoners. The UNASUR- supported dialogue between the Government and opposition has stalled.
I met the previous Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada at the EU-CELAC Foreign Minister's meeting on 26 October and discussed humanitarian issues and the economic situation. At that meeting I also raised the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with several of my Latin American and European counterparts. On 20 March I met a delegation of Venezuelan MPs from the National Assembly to discuss the situation and to highlight our support for an independent and empowered Parliament. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee last discussed Venezuela on 18 July, which was attended by the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the Maldives on the political situation in that country.
Answered by Lord Sharma
I most recently discussed the political situation in the Maldives with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr Asim at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 28 February. I raised UK concerns about governance and human rights in the Maldives and the importance of upcoming elections being free and fair. I also reiterated the UK’s opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, and raised concern over reports of the construction of a new execution chamber in the Maldives.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UN on the political situation in the Maldives.
Answered by Lord Sharma
I have had no recent discussions with the UN on the political situation in the Maldives. However, there is regular engagement between UK and UN officials, including most recently meetings between the British High Commissioner and the UN Resident Coordinator to Maldives in February.
We remain extremely concerned about governance and human rights in the Maldives, not least freedom of expression and association, judicial independence, the arbitrary detention of political figures and the possible re-introduction of the death penalty. I raised these concerns with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr Asim at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 28 February.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Secretariat on the issue of readmitting the Maldives into the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Sharma
There have been no recent discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat on the issue of readmitting the Maldives into the Commonwealth. The Maldives is free to reapply for membership should it wish to do so.
The UK is disappointed that the Maldives Government decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth. We believe in the Commonwealth and its commitment to improving the lives of people across all its member states. It is an organisation dedicated to developing free and democratic societies, and to promoting peace and prosperity.
We remain extremely concerned about governance and human rights in the Maldives, not least freedom of expression and association, judicial independence, the arbitrary detention of political figures and the possible re-introduction of the death penalty. I raised these concerns with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr Asim at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 28 February.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance he plans to offer to the Government of Burma to help it investigate the murder of Ko Ni.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Government was deeply troubled by the murder of U Ko Ni. He was killed at the airport while returning from a UK-funded study trip to Indonesia. He was a leading advocate for democratic reform, and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Boris Johnson), met him at a reception at the British Ambassador's Residence in Rangoon during his visit to Burma on 21 January. Our Ambassador attended his funeral on 31 January. An official police investigation into U Ko Ni's death is now under way. We await its outcome. The Burmese authorities have not requested our assistance in the investigation and neither have we offered it.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Burma on the murder of Ko Ni.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Government was deeply troubled by the murder of U Ko Ni. He was killed at the airport while returning from a UK-funded study trip to Indonesia. He was a leading advocate for democratic reform, and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Boris Johnson), met him at a reception at the British Ambassador's Residence in Rangoon during his visit to Burma on 21 January. Our Ambassador attended his funeral on 31 January. An official police investigation into U Ko Ni's death is now under way. We await its outcome. The Burmese authorities have not requested our assistance in the investigation and neither have we offered it.