Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the address made by the President of Slovenia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We welcome President Nataša Pirc Musar's speech in Strasbourg to mark 30 years of Slovenia's membership in the Council of Europe (CoE) and thank her for highlighting the devastating consequences of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.
We agree with President Pirc Musar's remarks that the Council of Europe must remain a global standard-bearer in addressing new and evolving human rights challenges, including on the environment and AI. The Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad were pleased to attend the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik alongside nearly forty other European leaders, including President Pirc Musar. Against the backdrop of Putin's heinous war against Ukraine, we stand united our European partners to defend our common values and support freedom, democracy and the rule of law across the continent.
We share the President Pirc Musar's focus on the need to de-escalate current tensions between Serbia and Kosovo and the importance of avoiding any further inflammatory actions or rhetoric and for a return to the EU-facilitated Dialogue.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has repeatedly called for the opening of the Lachin Corridor to civilians and the movement of humanitarian cargo. The UK has a strong record of supporting humanitarian responses in this region and FCDO officials are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the current situation. We will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contact with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months. The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe as well as our UK delegation, in producing reports and resolutions to address urgent issues in Europe.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on the budget of the Council of Europe at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a Grand Payeur and founding member of the Council of Europe, we are continuing to engage to ensure the Council of Europe works effectively and efficiently, whilst remaining sustainable. We will always push to see clear cost savings, increased efficiency and effectiveness where possible.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on Observation of the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkiye at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 19 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have noted the findings of the independent election observation missions in the recent Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in their report and debate on 19 June 2023 and by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We note from their conclusions that the elections offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives and voter participation remained high, but there remains more work to do to ensure media freedom and fair judicial treatment of political opponents in Turkey. In our regular interaction with Turkey, we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law, protect freedom of expression and assembly and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. The UK, along with all other Council of Europe member States, will respond to the report and debate through the Committee of Ministers.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the address by Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK stands in solidarity with the Belarusian people, who have shown immense courage in the face of relentless repression by the Lukashenko regime. We are clear that this regime neither speaks nor acts in the name of the overwhelming majority of Belarusians, and we continue to work with likeminded partners to put pressure on the regime publicly and privately for their human rights violations. We also take very seriously our responsibilities to Belarusian nationals in the UK, and the Security Minister's Defending Democracy Taskforce is driving forward work in response to threats of foreign interference, including transnational repression.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the presentation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary on the political situation in that country at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 19 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government is aware of the presentation by Foreign Minister Szijjártó on 19 June which sets out the position of the Hungarian Government on a variety of topics, including on the war in Ukraine. These are longstanding policy positions of the Hungarian Government with which the UK is familiar. We maintain a constructive dialogue with Hungary, but where we have worries we do not hesitate to raise them. In recent engagements with the Hungarian Government the UK has stressed the importance of remaining united against Russia, and in steadfast support of Ukraine, and we will continue to do so.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on Addressing the specific challenges faced by the Belarussians in exile at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK stands in solidarity with the Belarusian people, who have shown immense courage in the face of relentless repression by the Lukashenko regime. We are clear that this regime neither speaks nor acts in the name of the overwhelming majority of Belarusians, and we continue to work with likeminded partners to put pressure on the regime publicly and privately for their human rights violations. We also take very seriously our responsibilities to Belarusian nationals in the UK, and the Security Minister's Defending Democracy Taskforce is driving forward work in response to threats of foreign interference, including transnational repression.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on Transnational repression as a growing threat to the rule of law and human rights at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 23 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Foreign powers reaching across national borders to silence political dissent is unacceptable, and we are steadfastly committed to defending the rule of law and protecting individuals' rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK.
We will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Assembly. We continually assess potential threats to the UK and use a range of tools and measures to counter them, in co-ordination with partners. The Defending Democracy Taskforce is driving forward work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, and is reviewing the UK's approach to transnational repression.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his policies of the debate on Political consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We support the Council of Europe's role in highlighting the devastating consequences of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, and welcome the work of its Parliamentary Assembly in this regard.
The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine, and to working with our international partners to maximise the effectiveness of our sanctions package targeting Putin and those who enable him to fight his war. We will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes to defend itself and secure a just and lasting peace.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Public Health emergency: the need for a holistic approach to multilateralism and health care at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.
Answered by Will Quince
No assessment has been made on this debate at this point, but we continue to work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on global health issues and governance raised in the relevant debate discussed including negotiations on the targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) and the new Pandemic Instrument at the World Health Organization and in preparation for the High Level Meetings at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The United Kingdom continues to negotiate the text of the Pandemic Instrument and the amendments to the IHR to ensure they delivers on our priorities and provide the tools to achieve improvements globally in key areas of health emergency preparedness, prevention, and response. The Department of Health and Social Care also works closely with the Department for Business and Trade on health related issues linked to the World Trade Organization.