Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will stop arms sales to Turkey following the airstrikes against Afrin.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Arms exports to Turkey, as to all other countries, are subject to export controls. Decisions are based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available, including reports from our overseas network and military contacts. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria. The Consolidated Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. We do not issue export licences where, for example, we assess there is a clear risk that the goods might be used for internal repression or used aggressively against another country. We keep our approach to all countries under continual review and continue to follow closely the latest developments in Afrin.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UK's Permanent Ambassador to the UN on the latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK welcomes the unanimous adoption of the latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea. The international community has once again shown it is united in its condemnation of North Korea's reckless and destabilising actions. This resolution further reduces the revenues North Korea uses to fund its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The Foreign Secretary and I followed the process of agreeing this tough new resolution closely. Our officials in Whitehall and the UK Mission to the United Nations also worked closely together to deliver this resolution. We will continue to work with our allies and international partners to increase diplomatic pressure on the DPRK to choose a better path.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the UN Security Council’s sanctions on North Korea in encouraging that country to cease its nuclear activities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The unanimous adoption of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions on North Korea demonstrates that the international community will not accept its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The sanctions now in place significantly reduce the export revenues the regime uses to fund its illegal programmes.
There is evidence that the impact of these measures are increasingly being felt by the Kim regime.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the situation in North Korea; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign Secretary met Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 22 December in Moscow. They discussed how best to work together, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, in tackling global security issues such as North Korea. On the same day, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UNSCR 2379 on the DPRK, showing once again that the international community remains united in its condemnation of DPRK's reckless and destabilising actions. Ensuring full implementation of UNSCR 2379, and other UN resolutions, is now the priority.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, following reports of the torture of Jagpar Singh Johal in the Punjab, what representations he has made to the Government of India about the safety and fair treatment of British citizens.
Answered by Mark Field
Consular staff in India were made aware of allegations of mistreatment through Mr Johal's legal representation. Our priority is to inquire about these specific allegations with Mr Johal in private. The Foreign Secretary raised the case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs on 23 November and Consular officials continue to reiterate our request for a private meeting with Mr Johal with the Indian Government. I raised this with the Indian High Commissioner in telephone conversation on 29 November. We take all allegations of torture of mistreatment extremely seriously and we will press for action appropriate to the situation, with the consent of the individual, avoiding any action that may put the individual concerned at risk.