Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his article entitled The United Kingdom and the United States, United for Ukraine, published on Substack on 16 September 2024, what his policy is on the use of force by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains steadfast in our support and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The UK Government was clear during the military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 that only peaceful diplomacy, not force, should have been used to resolve conflict. This position has not changed. We will work with Armenia and Azerbaijan to promote a prosperous, peaceful and stable South Caucasus. We will continue to work alongside our trusted international partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure a lasting peace agreement through peaceful negotiations. The UK supported displaced people in the region with £1 million funding to ICRC and we continue to work with partners to ensure humanitarian and other needs are met.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Chinese ambassador to the UK on reports that a Russian state owned company has developed a weapons programme in China for military drones.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In my meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 26 July 2024, I urged China to prevent its companies supporting Russia's military industrial complex. Such support poses a material threat to international security and prosperity. Officials have also raised this with the Chinese Ambassador. We will continue to make our concerns clear at every opportunity.
The reports the Right Honorable Member references add to a growing body of open-source reports that Chinese companies are enabling Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, including through the provision of dual use goods. The supply of military UAVs would be a direct contradiction to statements from China that it would not provide weapons to relevant parties of the conflict.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure stability in the Western Balkans.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The stability and security of the Western Balkans is a key priority for the new government. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I recently met a number of Western Balkans leaders, including at the European Political Community and NATO Summits; discussions included efforts to promote stability, security and prosperity for mutual interests.
We are also working with European and US allies to strengthen collective international engagement on the Western Balkans to resolve conflict legacies and risks, promote economic development, tackle organised crime and help to build stable, inclusive and prosperous societies - including through approaches empowering women. We continue to play a key role in KFOR.
I recently met the EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak to discuss these issues, and welcomed Bosnia and Hercegovina Presidency Chair Becirovic to the FCDO.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Kosovan authorities on the Banjska attack on Kosovo in September 2023; and whether his Department has received reports on the potential involvement of the state of Serbia in that attack.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has repeatedly condemned the attack at Banjska and its destabilising effect in the region. The UK has repeatedly urged Serbia's leaders to help bring those responsible to justice and to take action to stop the illegal flow of weapons into Kosovo. The UK has discussed these issues with Kosovan Ministers and officials on a number of occasions. On 18 July, the Foreign Secretary discussed regional stability and reinforced its importance with both President Osmani and President Vucic at the European Political Community Summit.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he plans to support the draft UN resolution tabled by Rwanda, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina on declaring 11 July as an international day of reflection and remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is proud to support the draft resolution. The atrocities that took place at Srebrenica were a genocide, as confirmed by the International Courts. We must never forget the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for the regional security of the Balkans of the (a) meeting between the President of Serbia, the President of Republika Srpska and Patriarch Porifirije and (b) planned joint Easter Assembly between Serbia and Republika Srpska.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Following the 18 March meeting between Serbian President Vucic, the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik and the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, President Vucic announced an Easter Assembly in Serbia on 5-6 May, with participants from Serbia and ethnic Serb communities across the region. A similar initiative was held in 2017. We are following developments closely. We encourage Serbia, and all involved, to promote good neighbourly relations across the region, and to avoid divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. The Prime Minister's Western Balkans Envoy did so most recently during his 8 April visit to Belgrade.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made for the implications of his Department's policies of reported irregularities in the Serbian parliamentary elections held on 17 December 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK contributed a strong contingent to the combined international mission observing last month's Serbian Parliamentary elections, alongside support for local election observation. The UK shares concerns over serious election irregularities. Serbia should investigate these swiftly and effectively, including addressing allegations of election-related violence, and implement the recommendations of the International Election Observation Mission. We hope for swift central government formation to make early progress, including on normalisation of relations with Kosovo.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department plans to take steps with the US and Norway to undertake election monitoring in South Sudan before the South Sudanese elections in December 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK, and Troika (US, UK and Norway) have been engaged in South Sudan's peace process since the signing of the revitalised peace agreement in 2018. We collectively urge the Government of South Sudan to implement the terms of the Agreement, including free and fair elections. Our Joint Troika Statement on Sudan and South Sudan on 27 June emphasised the urgent need for the Government of South Sudan to make enough progress to allow elections to happen. The UK also funds the placement of technical experts in both the ceasefire and peace agreement implementation monitoring mechanisms, which play an important part in South Sudan's Peace Agreement and help hold the parties to their commitments.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he had discussions with his counterparts in the EU on the UK rejoining the EUFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina before it was renewed on 2 November 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The former Foreign Secretary spoke regularly with his EU counterparts about European security, including peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). While the UK has not sought to re-join European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) Operation Althea, we recognise EUFOR's vital importance to BiH's peace and security, and worked closely with international partners to secure the renewal of its mandate in the UN Security Council. We continue to support security and stability in BiH through our bilateral contributions, including support to the BiH Armed Forces. Personnel from the First Royal Anglian are currently in BiH, training with their Bosnian counterparts.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans that the UK will re-join the EUFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina if its mandate is extended by the UN in November.
Answered by Leo Docherty
EUFOR Operation Althea remains vital to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) peace and security and the UK will support its mandate renewal in the UN Security Council in November. We continue to explore options for supporting the security of BiH both through bilateral support to the BiH Armed Forces and through NATO HQ in Sarajevo. The UK Government has supported BiH Ministry of Defence to increase its capabilities, including in the areas of gender integration, officer training and international interoperability.