Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 counterparts in Turkey on the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties, civil society groups and the Turkish media. We have met with Turkey's high election board and stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner in safe and secure conditions. We will continue our dialogue with Turkey throughout the process. Following an invitation from the Turkish authorities and in accordance with its mandate, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has deployed an Election Observation Mission to the 14 May 2023 general elections and the Council of Europe will also send an observation mission. The Government is not sending election observers. However, British parliamentarians will join observation missions mounted by both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken with his Turkish counterparts in Turkey to help ensure safe passage to polling stations for people affected by the recent earthquakes during the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in May 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We have engaged with the Turkish high election board on the question of voter access to voting booths in earthquake-affected areas. They have described to us the measures they have put in place such as new voting booths, re-registration for displaced citizens and special flexibility on voting locations. Voters will be able to vote in newly created temporary voting booths or, if they have left their original region, re-register in their new locations and have their vote count towards parliamentary candidates standing in that constituency. We have also discussed election observation in earthquake areas with a range of political parties and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 impact of the recent earthquakes in Turkey on the upcoming parliamentary elections in that country that are expected to be held on 14 May 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties, civil society groups and the Turkish media. We note that Turkey is making wide-ranging contingency plans to enable voters affected or displaced by the February earthquakes to cast their ballots. We have stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a list of the organisations his Department has given funds to in Turkey since the earthquake on 9 February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK Government provided bilateral assistance to the Turkish authorities including International Search and Rescue, Ministry of Defence Field Hospital, tents, blankets and hygiene kits. In addition, the UK is funding the following organisations to provide relief and support humanitarian assistance to earthquake affected populations: UK-Med Emergency Medical Team; Humanitarian 2 Humanitarian Network; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; United Nations Children's Fund; British Red Cross; International Federation of the Red Cross and Crescent. Through Standby Partnerships, additional technical expertise is provided to UN agencies implementing humanitarian response activities in Turkey.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the minutes of any meetings held with his Turkish counterparts since the earthquake on 9 February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The Foreign Secretary has met or spoken to his counterpart several times since 6 February 2023. In addition, Minister Andrew Mitchell visited southern Turkey on 19 February to see the response to the earthquakes first-hand. The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, also met with the Turkish Disaster Response Authority during his visit to Turkey in March. We do not routinely publish records of Ministerial meetings.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 leaders of both communities in Cyprus on establishing a sustainable, bi-zonal and bi-communal federal political settlement in the period since June 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We remain committed to supporting UN efforts to reach a just and lasting Cyprus settlement, within the UN parameters based on the model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality and we engage all parties on this. The UK has held high level meetings as recently as last month, including with President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar, following the elections in February.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 effectiveness of the deployment of British funded aid in Turkey to marginalised and minority groups since the earthquake on 9 February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK's priority was to provide life-saving support to those in need in Turkey and Syria, regardless of their background. We are committed to learning from our own experience and that of others as part of a constant review of global humanitarian responses. That is why we have funded independent agencies to report on the response, including the promotion of inclusion and accountability to affected populations.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 adequacy of support available for Kurdish people following the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK has sent thousands of life-saving items to Turkey and Syria, including tents and thermal blankets and worked in coordination with Turkish authorities, United Nations and NGO partners to ensure aid reached those who are most in need, regardless of ethnicity. We have not made a separate assessment of support specifically for Kurdish people.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has for long term support to the recovery effort in Turkey following the recent earthquakes in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is a committed humanitarian donor globally and responded quickly to the devastating earthquakes to provide life-saving support to the people of Turkey and Syria. As we move out of the emergency response phase, the UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Turkey and to look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has pledged for (a) humanitarian, (b) engineering personnel and (c) other support to Turkey over the next (i) six and (ii) 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO has committed £12 million for a humanitarian response to earthquakes in Turkey from February 2023 to March 2024. No funding has been committed by the FCDO for engineering personnel to Turkey since the earthquakes in February.