Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held recent discussions with his Japanese counterpart on the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear site.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
On 18 September, the Foreign Secretary discussed the treated water discharge with Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Yoko Kamikawa, at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK's full support for Japan's actions, confirmed the UK's confidence in the science underpinning the treated water discharge and the UK's full satisfaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) judgements regarding monitoring and safety of the discharge.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he had with the Albanian Prime Minister on (a) Ukraine, (b) serious and organised crime and (c) illegal migration while attending the UN General Assembly.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Foreign Secretary met Albanian Prime Minister Rama on 19 September in New York. They recognised the strength of the current UK-Albania partnership and the progress we have made on shared priorities. This includes migration, with over 3,500 immigration offenders having been returned to Albania since our Joint Communique was signed in December, and a 90 per cent reduction in the numbers of Albanians arriving illegally. The Foreign Secretary welcomed Albania's leadership on European and international security issues through NATO and the UN Security Council, including in support of Ukraine.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on reviving the Black Sea grain initiative.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are committed to ensuring Ukraine is able to export its grain. At the G20 Summit on 8-9 September, the Prime Minister engaged partners, including Japan, to ensure a unified message condemning Russia's attacks on grain infrastructure. We are working with Japan as G7 President to shape the international response.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the free transit of ships carrying Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We strongly condemn Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and call on Russia to re-join immediately. We also strongly condemn Russia's egregious attacks on Ukraine's ports. Ukraine has the right to export its goods through international waters. Russia's actions are clearly intended to prevent Ukraine doing so. The United Kingdom is working with Ukraine and other partners to enable Ukraine to continue exporting its grain via all routes, including overland through Europe.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to strengthen (a) security, (b) cultural and (c) trade relations with South Korea through (i) the British Council LINK programme and (ii) other means.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK and the Republic of Korea are close friends. We are both free and open societies with vibrant democracies and a shared commitment to upholding global security, democratic principles and the rule of law. Our bilateral framework spans political, economic, military and scientific fields. We have strengthened international collaboration and knowledge sharing through the British Council LINK programme, connecting mid-career Korean civil servants to the UK public sector. I [Minister for the Indo-Pacific] visited South Korea in May to celebrate 140 years of diplomatic relations and further our dialogue on development and economic security. The UK will continue building upon our close relationship with the Republic of Korea and deepen our cooperation on trade and security challenges.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Tigray; and what steps her Department is taking to assist the people of Tigray.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, from north to south, is grave and is worsening. More than 400,000 people are experiencing catastrophic famine-like conditions in Tigray and this year nearly 30 million people throughout the country will require life-saving aid. In northern regions conflict has affected more than 9 million people - including 5.2 million people in Tigray, where humanitarian access is negligible. As I [Minister Ford] expressed in my statement of 1 April, the arrival of a humanitarian convoy in Tigrayan-controlled areas on that day was a welcome development, but we now need to see sustained humanitarian access.
Since the start of the conflict in November 2020 the UK has allocated more than £75 million in humanitarian assistance for Northern Ethiopia. This includes £15.6 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its food and nutrition operations in northern Ethiopia. This helped WFP reach more than 885,000 people with food assistance and approximately 219,000 people with nutrition support. We welcome the cessation of hostilities announced by the Ethiopian Government and agreed by Tigrayan authorities on 25 March. All parties to the conflict must now facilitate urgent humanitarian relief, especially to communities in Tigray who have not had food aid for months.