Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to convene international partners to help support work on finding a resolution to the situation in the Lachin corridor.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Following Azerbaijan's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh in September, the UK was active in working with international partners to call upon Azerbaijan to end the use of force and to avoid further conflict. We welcome UN and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access following the conflict, and we are providing £1 million to the ICRC to provide life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support to those affected. We are continuing to liaise with the UN, ICRC and others to assess humanitarian need in the region and what further UK assistance is required.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
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 Azerbaijan’s compliance with international law on prevention of atrocity crimes.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK believes that those who commit atrocities in armed conflicts need to be held accountable. We call on states and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict to respect international humanitarian law, and to act in accordance with their obligations under it. In the case of Azerbaijani military action in Nagorno-Karabakh in September, the UK was vocal in calling for an end to the conflict, the protection of civilians and for immediate humanitarian access. The UN and other international actors have subsequently been granted access to the region.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the situation in the Lachin Corridor in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on (a) UK imports of oil from and (b) commercial relations with oil suppliers in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK recognises Azerbaijan's role as a reliable energy partner that plays an important role in the global energy landscape. However, energy is only part of our overall relationship with Azerbaijan, and it is those broad ties which enable us to have wide-reaching conversations with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani Government on a range of themes, including the unfolding situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office what steps he is taking to ensure people in Afghanistan with refugee reunion visas are able to travel to the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We stand by our commitment to help all Afghans who are eligible to come to the UK, including those who hold refugee reunion visas, to travel by whatever routes are available. We are clear that the Taliban must ensure safe passage for these people out of Afghanistan, and any engagement with them will emphasise this first and foremost. We are also in frequent contact with neighbouring countries, and wider partners, to help secure safe routes.