Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh following the blockade of the Lachin corridor.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has made clear that the closure of the Lachin corridor during winter risks severe humanitarian consequences. Officials are in contact with humanitarian agencies, including the ICRC, about their assessment of the impact of the closure and the Government is a significant donor to agencies providing assistance on the ground. I [Minister Docherty] issued a statement highlighting the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor on 13 December and our Ambassadors in the region and other senior UK officials have reinforced this message with key interlocutors. We also called for early resolution of this issue in our interventions in Vienna at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 15 December and in New York at the UN Security Council on 20 December.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) supply of (i) gas and (ii) other critical supplies and (b) wider humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has made clear that the closure of the Lachin corridor risks severe humanitarian consequences. The UK has spoken at the Organization for Security Co-operation in Europe and at the United Nations Security Council to urge the immediate reopening of the corridor given this risk. We are aware that gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh have been reinstated and continue to urge the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to abide by all commitments in relation to the Lachin corridor in good faith, and to settle the remaining conflict issues as soon as possible. We are clear that there is no military solution to this conflict and we continue to support international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement that will ensure security and lasting stability in the region.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the disruption of the Lachin corridor.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has made clear that the closure of the Lachin corridor during winter risks severe humanitarian consequences. I [Minister Docherty] issued a statement highlighting the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor on 13 December and our Ambassadors in the region and other senior UK officials have reinforced this message with key interlocutors. We also called for early resolution of this issue in our interventions in New York at the UN Security Council on 20 December. We continue to urge the governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to abide by all ceasefire commitments in good faith. This is consistent with our support for international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of Official Development Assistance spend in Europe by country in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The official source of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) data is Statistics on International Development (SID) which is published on a calendar year basis. 2021 is the latest year for which data is available.
The volume of UK bilateral ODA disbursed for the benefit of European countries is available in Table A4d of SID: Final UK Aid Spend 2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1119396/Table-A4d.ods
Please note that this includes only bilateral ODA given specifically for the benefit of individual countries. The UK also spends ODA in the form of core contributions to multilateral organisations and bilaterally to programmes which benefit multiple countries/regions, which may also benefit European countries.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the Belarussian opposition on the hospitalisation of Maryya Kalesnikava.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
On 30 November, I [Minister for Europe] issued a public statement of support for Marya Kalesnikava and her family, calling on the Belarusian authorities to provide appropriate care to Marya and to release all political prisoners. HMG maintains contact with members of the Belarusian democratic opposition in exile, the then Foreign Secretary met Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya during her visit to London in March 2022, with the plight of Belarusian political prisoners a shared priority. Marya Kalesnikava's condition was discussed at a recent OSCE side event attended by Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya and representatives of the UK Government.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts about the consequences for his policies of recent meetings in Belarus between Russian and Belorussian military officials.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with international partners on all aspects of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Discussions with partners frequently consider the role of the Lukashenko regime in providing support to Putin's unprovoked and illegal war in Ukraine.
The UK Government condemns Lukashenko's collaboration with Russia and takes every opportunity to remind the Belarusian regime that there will be serious consequences if they become more directly involved in Russia's war. We also urge Belarus to re-consider its 'grouping of forces' with Russia in southern Belarus, which risks escalating regional instability.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Ukrainian officials and officials on the IAEA regarding claims that Russian occupiers at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are denying employees access to the site who refused to sign contracts with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is supporting the efforts of Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to address the safety and security of Zaporzhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). I [The Minister for Europe] spoke to the IAEA Director General on 2 December. The Foreign Secretary spoke to him on 15 November. UK Government officials have regular exchanges with their counterparts in Ukraine, the IAEA and the G7. Ukrainian staff at the ZNPP must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure and we will continue to use all political and diplomatic channels to insist Russia withdraws its forces and returns control of nuclear facilities to Ukraine.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the President of Kazakhstan on helping to ensure that Kazakhstan is not used to evade Russian sanctions.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign Secretary has not spoken to the President of Kazakhstan. However, on 20 December we will host a Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister Tileuberdi, where we will discuss all aspects of UK-Kazakhstan cooperation, including the response to Russia's war in Ukraine, and sanctions against Russia. The UK is committed to ensuring that third countries are not used by Russia to evade sanctions. We regularly underline our support for Kazakhstan's compliance with international sanctions, and welcome remarks made by Kazakh Government officials regarding their stance against circumvention.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Georgian counterpart on the implications of the visit of the Speaker of the Russian State Duma to Abkhazia on 1 December 2022 and the subsequent signing of a cooperation agreement.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Although the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this issue with his Georgian counterpart, it is the longstanding policy of the UK and the vast majority of the international community that Abkhazia is Georgian territory, as we have repeatedly made clear in statements at the UN, OSCE and Council of Europe. The signing of the cooperation agreement is a further attempt to undermine Georgia's sovereignty over the territory of Abkhazia. The UK's strong support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and close cooperation on defence and security, makes us one of Georgia's most valued partners in countering Russian hybrid threats.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussion has he had with Ukrainian officials on damages to the water supply in Mykolayiv due to Russian rocket attacks.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government holds regular discussions with the Ukrainian Government about damage caused by Russia's attacks on critical national infrastructure, including water supply. During recent visits to Kyiv, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary discussed these issues and ways in which the UK Government can support the Ukrainian Government to make urgent repairs. In Kyiv on 19 November, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK will provide £12 million to the World Food Programme and £4 million to the International Organisation for Migration to help meet urgent winter humanitarian needs through the provision of generators, shelter, water repairs and mobile health clinics.