Asked by: Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken, or plan to take, in response to the arrest in Russia of Edem Bekirov.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned about the welfare of Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov. Mr Bekirov was detained re-entering illegally annexed Crimea on 12 December. We have seen reporting that Mr Bekirov has been denied critical medical assistance and access to his lawyers. On 20 December, the UK publicly called on Russia to provide urgent medical care and access to legal advice. We will continue to work closely with international partners in monitoring and raising awareness of his case, alongside other political prisoners currently detained in Russia and Crimea.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of the Foreign Secretary's visit to Afghanistan on 25 June.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cost of the former Foreign Secretary's travel will be disclosed in the usual way and published as part of transparency data in accordance with Cabinet Office requirements.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Iran's ballistic missile research and development programme.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1929 prohibits Iran from all activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. Iran’s ballistic missile programme, and its continued development in violation of UNSCRs, is a significant concern. We keep Iran’s ballistic missile programme under constant review.Asked by: Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they would be prepared, on request by the government of Ukraine, to sell them defensive, including lethal, weapons.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Any UK export of strategic goods will require an export licence. All export licence applications for Ukraine are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and relevant national Arms Export Licensing Criteria.
The Government continues to closely monitor the situation.