Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they define their Global Britain policy concept.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Global Britain is this Government's vision for renewing the way in which we engage on the global stage. Leaving the EU is an opportunity for us to show what Global Britain means: A new relationship with our EU and other partners; striking trade deals with new markets, reasserting ourselves as a liberal and free trading nation; and acting with strong moral anchors, as a force for good in the world.
We want Global Britain to lead by example. Our hosting of COP26 in Glasgow demonstrates exactly this: Global Britain leading on the international stage to galvanise worldwide efforts to tackle climate change.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Government departments are working on their Global Britain policy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Global Britain is this Government's vision for reassessing the way in which we engage on the global stage. The Government is undertaking a thorough review of the UK's place in the world through the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review. This will be a whole of government exercise and will ensure we have a fully integrated strategy in our approach to defence, diplomacy and development.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the BBC’s World Service as an example of the UK's soft power; and what consideration they have given to providing future direct Government funding of the World Service.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office strongly supports the BBC's mission to bring high quality and impartial news to global audiences, including where free speech is limited. As part of this, the BBC World Service brings the UK to the world, providing a link to the UK for people and communities who wouldn't otherwise have this opportunity. This is invaluable for our soft power and influence at an important time.
The British Government is investing £377m during 2016-2021 to support the BBC World Service through the World 2020 Programme, which has expanded the BBC World Service's digital, TV and audio offering. In 2019, this helped the BBC reach a global audience of 426 million people weekly (of which World Service constitutes 319m); a 50m increase on the previous year. Future funding for the Service will be determined at SR20.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect the Kurdish population of Northern Syria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has taken bilateral and multilateral action to end the Turkish military incursion into north-east Syria. We have been consistently clear with Turkey on our opposition to its military action– the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Minister for the Middle East and North Africa each communicated this to their Turkish counterparts, most recently on 26 October. We therefore welcome the fact that the ceasefire is holding and that Turkey has confirmed it has no plans for a further offensive. We continue to call for all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and unhindered, safe and sustainable humanitarian access throughout Syria, including at the UN Security Council.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring peace to Syria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK's priority remains to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement. We are providing active support to the UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties, which remains the forum to achieve this. We welcomed the launch of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva on 30 October, which we hope will be a first step towards a negotiated settlement. Absent such a settlement, we are clear that we have no plans to re-open our Embassy in Damascus, remove sanctions or provide any reconstruction assistance.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what ministerial meetings, if any, they have recently held with their counterparts in the government of Russia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
On 16 February, the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, the Rt Hon Sir Alan Duncan met with his Russian counterpart First Deputy Foreign Minister Titov at the Munich Security Conference.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made to the government of Russia about Ivan Golunov who is under house arrest in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK welcomes the dropping of charges against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas publicly voiced thier deep concern following Mr Golunov's arrest. We hope his release is indicative of a movement towards greater press freedom in Russia. We will continue to call on Russia to respect freedom of speech and expression, and will continue to defend media freedom.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the governments of Russia and Ukraine to de-escalate rising tension in the Kerch Strait.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK's full diplomatic network is actively engaged on securing a united international response. The Foreign Secretary, in his statement on 26 November, condemned Russia's aggressive actions and their forcible seizure of the Ukrainian vessels and their crews. He called on the Russian Federation to ensure freedom of passage through the Kerch Strait and for the exercise of restraint. We have been clear through the UN, OSCE, EU and NATO that Russia must release the vessels and their crew. The UK continues to express its full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and territorial waters. Our Ambassador to the Ukraine has been actively engaging with the Ukrainian Government, including the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and the Navy.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to call upon the government of Ukraine to lift the imposition of martial law to ensure that forthcoming elections are free and fair.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
In response to Russian aggression, the Ukrainian Rada (parliament) adopted a law on 26 November on the approval of a Presidential Decree on the introduction of Martial Law. The law came into force for a fixed period of 30 days from 28 November and applies in 10 border regions. We welcome President Poroshenko's reassurances that martial law will not be used to restrict the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens and that full mobilisation will only be considered in case of further Russian aggression. The UK continues to provide support for transparency and accountability through electoral reform in Ukraine, including technical assistance for reform of the Central Election Commission. We welcome the Ukrainian Parliament's resolution this week confirming Presidential elections will proceed as scheduled on 31 March 2019. We also welcome the President's assurances that he is actively seeking to ensure that community elections scheduled for 23 December can proceed as planned.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on who was responsible for the alleged chemical attack on Aleppo on 25 November; and what action they intend to take if that attack is proved to be a chemical attack.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are aware of reports of rockets allegedly containing a toxic substance being fired in Aleppo and are seeking further information. No fatalities have been reported. We call on all parties to support the experts of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as they look into these allegations. As a result of UK-led action, the OPCW is putting in place attribution arrangements to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. If the OPCW was to determine that a chemical weapon was used in this instance, it would be able to examine who was responsible. We condemn the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances and will continue to work with partners, including through the UN and OPCW, to ensure that the international norm against the use of chemical weapons is upheld.