Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the actions of Turkish and allied militia during the occupation of Afrin, and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Her Majesty's Government discussed Turkish military action in Afrin with the Turkish authorities at the highest levels. We called for de-escalation and the protection of civilians, while recognising Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. All actors in the Syrian conflict must comply with and fully uphold international conventions and norms. We are clear that any allegations of human rights violations, where there is credible evidence of their occurrence, must be investigated and have previously raised incidents with the Turkish authorities where there were grounds to do so.
The Government has already discussed the situation in Afrin extensively, including in a statement to this House by the Minister of State for the Middle East on 12 March 2018.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government made to seek to halt the execution of Mr Ramin Hussein Panahi in Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Government supported an EU-led demarche in Spring 2018 calling on Iran to ensure Mr Panahi’s right to due process was guaranteed. Regrettably, our efforts were unsuccessful and Mr Panahi was executed in September. We continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Syrian democratic forces on assistance in managing and rehabilitating former captives of Daesh who originate from countries other than Syria; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I have had no discussions with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) representatives. The Global Coalition against Daesh, of which we are a member, works closely with the SDF in the ongoing fight against Daesh and engages with them on a number of related issues, including the situation of former Daesh fighters and their families, including children. As part of our significant humanitarian programme, the UK is expanding support for non-formal education activities in former Daesh-controlled areas in Northeast Syria, alongside psychosocial support for children affected by trauma. We remain committed to achieving justice for the victims of Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the Syrian democratic forces and (b) his counterparts in neighbouring countries to Syria on the re-education and rehabilitation of Daesh indoctrinated children; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I have had no discussions with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) representatives. The Global Coalition against Daesh, of which we are a member, works closely with the SDF in the ongoing fight against Daesh and engages with them on a number of related issues, including the situation of former Daesh fighters and their families, including children. As part of our significant humanitarian programme, the UK is expanding support for non-formal education activities in former Daesh-controlled areas in Northeast Syria, alongside psychosocial support for children affected by trauma. We remain committed to achieving justice for the victims of Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on reports of recent heavy weaponry attacks by that country on northern and eastern Syria; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have made clear our concern to Turkey regarding incidents of cross-border firing into areas of Syria under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. We continue to engage closely with Turkey and other allies, including the US and EU partners, to achieve an outcome in northern Syria which respects Turkish security concerns while allowing for the successful completion of the counter-Daesh campaign.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by is Department who are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made no assessment of the number or proportion of staff employed by the FCO who may be in receipt of universal credit. This information is not needed by the FCO for employment purposes.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations were made to the Turkish Government on BBC reports that four HDP members were shot and killed in Suruc during an election campaign visit by AKP deputy Ibrahim Halil Yıldız on 14 June 2018.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are aware of the reports of violence in Suruc. In the lead up to the election we consistently raised with Turkish authorities our hopes for a peaceful and transparent election process.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Turkey on the relocation to less accessible places of polling stations in predominantly Kurdish areas of Turkey; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In the run-up to the recent elections in Turkey we consistently encouraged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the process would be handled fairly, professionally and transparently. We note the concerns over mergers and relocations of polling stations expressed by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), following the ODIHR electoral monitoring mission, and urge Turkey to take these into consideration.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Turkish general election was conducted fairly, given that one of the candidates was compelled to conduct his campaign from prison.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We actively supported the International Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We have noted the concerns set out in its preliminary conclusions, including regarding access to media, and we encourage Turkey to act on the monitoring mission’s findings. We have previously made clear the importance of ensuring any legal processes against politicians are fair, transparent and respectful of the rule of law.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department made to the Government of Turkey on ensuring that the election in that country was run fairly as a result of the remarks of President Erdogan reported on the BBC's Today programme of 18 June 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Prior to the elections, we had consistently encouraged Turkey to ensure that the process was carried out in a peaceful, democratic and transparent manner. The Prime Minister made this point when she met the Turkish President on 15 May. We are aware of the initial report of the OSCE electoral observation mission and encourage Turkey to engage with the OSCE in order to address the points raised.