Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 effectiveness of the Minister for the Americas, Caribbean and Overseas Territories' visit to Guyana in December 2023; and what recent steps his Department has taken to support Guyana in maintaining its territorial integrity.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December. I met with President Ali, Foreign Secretary Todd, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Defence Force Chief of Staff Brigadier Omar Khan and the The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett to show UK support for Guyana's territorial integrity. President Ali strongly welcomed this visit and our ongoing support.
HMS Trent also visited on 29/30 December as a further signal of the UK's support for Guyana's sovereign borders. The UK welcomes the Argyle Declaration signed by Venezuela and Guyana in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 14 December, that makes clear Venezuela is to refrain from the use of force and any further escalation. We continue to work with our partners in the region and internationally to de-escalate tensions and ensure respect for Guyana's sovereignty.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps with international partners to help end the (a) trade and (b) consumption of dog meat.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British Government believe that the eating of dogs is a deplorable and revolting practice. The UK Government is committed to raising standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. We are already undertaking an ambitious approach to cooperation and collaboration in many of our new Free Trade Agreements where we are seeking commitments to work with trading partners on animal welfare. We will continue to use our position as a global leader for international advocacy on animal welfare to forge new relationships with our trading partners and other nations across the globe to promote high animal welfare. The consumption of dog meat is legal in many countries and there are no international norms, laws or agreements governing this. We believe that it is necessary to work with Governments around the world to gain agreement on animal welfare standards, and to phase out cruel and inhumane practices.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) the United Arab Emirates, (c) Oman and (d) Jordan on the naval protection force in the Red Sea.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working with allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea. The UK takes threats to shipping vessels in the Red Sea extremely seriously.
Britain joined the US and others in Operation Prosperity Guardian - an international naval force to deter mounting Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. This coalition bolsters international efforts to keep open one of the world's most important waterways. Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Diamond, is a part of this coalition and has already been involved in action to protect shipping from Houthi threats on 16 December and 9 January. HMS Diamond was first targeted by a Houthi attack on 9 January.
The Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in the Red Sea with key interlocutors from Saudi Arabia (14 December), UAE (16 December & 12 January), and Oman on the weekend (31 December). The Defence Secretary also recently spoke with Yemeni President Alimi (21 December) and Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman (21 December).
We continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Egypt, (b) Sudan, (c) Saudi Arabia and (d) Yemen on maritime security in the Red Sea.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working with allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea. The UK takes threats to shipping vessels in the Red Sea extremely seriously.
The Foreign Secretary has recently discussed the Red Sea and other matters with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The Defence Secretary also recently spoke with Yemeni President Alimi and Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman, and Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Lord Ahmad, recently spoke with Yemeni Foreign Minister Mubarak.
Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry these illegal and unjustified attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships from 9 January. Consequently, on 11 January, we took limited, necessary, proportionate, and legal action in self-defence to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.
We continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on the civil war in Yemen.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN-brokered truce in April 2022, which formally expired in October 2022, has continued to de facto hold. The de facto truce is the most significant opportunity for peace in Yemen in years.
We welcome the conclusion of the Saudi-Houthi talks and the formal launch of the UN-led Roadmap by the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on 23 December 2023. This transition to an intra-Yemeni peace process under UN auspices has been reached following years of HMG's diplomatic support. The UK conducts regular engagements with partners, including Australia and New Zealand, through our diplomatic presence for Yemen in Amman and Riyadh.
An inclusive political settlement is the only way to bring sustainable peace and long-term stability to Yemen, and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many officials from his Department are stationed at the UK’s diplomatic mission in Sana’a as of 19 December 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As at the end of November 2023, there were zero staff with a working location of Sana'a or Yemen.
The British Embassy in Sana'a temporarily suspended operations in 2015 as a result of conflict in Yemen.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support security in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
I underlined the UK's support for the sovereignty and security of the region during a visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November. The UK has urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in joint and internationally-mediated negotiations to conclude a final peace settlement. We welcomed the two countries' historic joint statement of 7 December, in which important confidence-building measures were announced, aimed at reaching an historic agreement and securing lasting peace for the region.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Guyana on the recent referendum in Venezuela on the Venezuela-Guyana border.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. We continue to work with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.
I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December. I met with President Ali, Foreign Secretary Todd, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Defence Force Chief of Staff Brigadier Omar Khan and the CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett to show UK support for Guyana's territorial integrity.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals have requested consular assistance in Yemen in each of the last three years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia provides remote consular support to British Nationals in Yemen. Prior to October 2023, our case management system did not enable us to isolate all consular assistance cases from within Yemen. Since October 2023 we can confirm that we have provided assistance to fewer than five British Nationals. British Nationals planning to visit or already in Yemen can visit the FCDO travel advice pages for Yemen and sign up to email alerts.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in (a) French Guiana and (b) Suriname on the situation in Guyana.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela, with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. We believe the unilateral actions of Venezuela are unjustified and should cease. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration.
We will continue to work with allies and partners in the region to ensure that the territorial integrity of Guyana is respected. I [Minister Rutley] have not discussed the situation with counterparts in Suriname or in France's overseas department of French Guiana. Our officials in Paris have been in contact with French counterparts.
As part of this extensive diplomatic engagement, I visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for its territorial integrity.