Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current relations between the UK and Eritrea.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK and Eritrea have diplomatic relations. We use that to pursue areas of agreement and disagreement. We see human rights, development, regional issues and Ukraine on very different terms, which we make very clear.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of Russia's plans to set up a naval base on the Eritrean Red Sea coast.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Russia has long sought to pursue interests on the Red Sea. We continually monitor developments in the region.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the freedom of democratic (1) expression, and (2) practice, in Tunisia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has closely monitored the political situation in Tunisia since the changes brought in by President Kais Saied on 25 July 2021, and we will continue to do so. Tunisia faces many economic and political challenges that can only be effectively addressed through democratic engagement, transparency, the protection of human rights, and free speech. The UK has expressed its views regarding the political situation, bilaterally and through statements on behalf of G7 Ambassadors. The most recent joint statement was on 8 February, conveying concerns about the decision to dissolve Tunisia's Supreme Judicial Council: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/supreme-judicial-court-in-tunisia-ambassadors-joint-statement-8-february-2022
We engage regularly with Government leaders in the country, most recently on 1 March when the British Ambassador to Tunisia called on Prime Minister Najla Bouden.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of relations between the UK and Tunisia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to our close bilateral relationship with Tunisia. UK engagement with the Tunisian Government covers a wide range of issues, as reflected under the framework of the bilateral Association Agreement, which came into effect on 1 January 2021. We share ambitions to build on our close bilateral partnership, whether related to economic ties, trade partnership, education, taking action on climate change or tackling the threats we each face from terrorism. Her Majesty's Government, including the British Council, is in regular dialogue with the Government of Tunisia.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role, if any, of Tunisia in resisting terrorism along the North African Mediterranean littoral.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
A stable, democratic and prosperous Tunisia is a keystone to resisting terrorism along the North African Mediterranean littoral. The Tunisian authorities have made a great deal of progress, supported by international partners including the UK, in countering the threat from terrorism since the Sousse and Bardot attacks of 2015. But the threat remains, as set out in the UK's travel advice for Tunisia, and members of the Tunisian public and security forces have continued to pay a heavy price, losing lives and livelihoods to terrorism. It is vital that we continue to work together to address the shared challenges of terrorism and extremism, and to support progress towards an open, equitable and just Tunisia which delivers the public services and economic opportunities Tunisians want and deserve.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the welfare of Mikita Yemialyianau, who is currently imprisoned in Belarus.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are aware of the case of Mikita Yemialyianau. There are over 1000 political prisoners in Belarus. We remain deeply troubled about the intolerable prison conditions in which detainees are held in Belarus. We urge the authorities to release political prisoners, immediately and unconditionally, and have raised this both bilaterally and multilaterally. The UK has imposed over 100 sanctions in response to the fraudulent elections, human rights violations, and repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Belarus. This repression takes place amidst Belarus' unacceptable support of Russia's illegal and unprovoked attack against Ukraine, which the UK strongly condemns and is taking action against.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recall the UK Ambassador from Moscow.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not currently have plans to recall the UK Ambassador from Moscow.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current threats, if any, to the Christian presence in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. The UK condemns all attacks on the right to freedom of religion or belief. Israel is a thriving democracy, and has made clear its commitment to freedom of religion. We encourage the Israeli Government to do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all enshrined in its laws. The UK regularly engages with Christian leaders in Israel and OPTs and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of India regarding its decision to block overseas funding for the Missionaries of Charity.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are aware that some NGOs have faced difficulties in India due to the application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Indian authorities and that some, like Missionaries of Charity, have recently had applications to renew their foreign funding licenses rejected. We continue to support a wide range of local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) partners in India, including through programmes, and officials have discussed issues facing NGOs directly with the Indian Government.
We are pleased to note, on 8 January, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs restored the FCRA license of the Missionaries of Charity, meaning the NGO will be able to receive and use foreign funding again. The British High Commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor developments.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of freedom of religion and belief for Coptic Christians in Egypt; and whether they have discussed the situation with the government of Egypt.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government of Egypt has stated its commitment to protecting the rights of Coptic Christians and freedom of worship, and the Egyptian constitution contains protection for freedom of religious belief. We have been encouraged by the positive steps the Government of Egypt has taken in recent years, including President Sisi's public commitments, to uphold the rights of minorities and freedom of worship. There has also been a number of protections for freedom of religion enshrined in Egypt's constitution and the Middle East's largest cathedral was opened in Egypt in 2019. The Prime Minister and President Sisi have discussed the importance of protecting freedom of religion and belief, most recently during their meeting in Glasgow on 1 November.