Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding and extending sanctions against Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to limit Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) weapons programmes and counter their proliferation activity through maintaining a robust sanctions regime This includes an extensive range of UN sanctions covering financial, trade, aircraft, shipping and immigration measures. We continue to keep our DPRK sanctions regime under close review. We do not comment on future or potential expansions of our DPRK sanctions regime as this could affect their impact: we will continue to keep this regime under close review.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) NGOs and (b) charities in receipt of funding from his Department that have issued legal proceedings against the Government.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is no on-going litigation against the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (the Department) in respect of claims issued directly by NGOs or charities currently in receipt of funding from the Department.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Georgian counterpart on the detention of the Mzia Amaghlobeli.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I have consistently raised our concerns about the violence used by the authorities against protesters and journalists in the course of ongoing protests in Georgia. We will continue to do so. Mzia Amaghlobeli's detention is another worrying example of how journalists are intimidated in Georgia in a way which limits media freedom and freedom of expression. Our Embassy in Tbilisi is following Amaghlobeli's case very closely. On 30 January 2025, our Embassy led a statement on behalf of 14 Media Freedom Coalition members, calling for her immediate release and a review of her case.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 help end the detention of OSCE officials (a) Vadym Golda, (b) Maxim Petrov and (c) Dmytro Shabanov by the Russian Federation.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to advocate for the immediate release of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) officials Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov, including at ministerial level, alongside the OSCE Secretary General and the Chair in Office. We recently raised their cases at the OSCE Permanent Council on 27 February 2025.
In 2024, the UK, along with 44 other countries, invoked the Moscow Mechanism to investigate violations related to the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian Federation. The resulting report highlighted the case of the three OSCE officials and called for their immediate release.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the role of Russia's Africa Corps in the migration of people from (a) sub-Saharan Africa and (b) North Africa.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russian proxies such as Africa Corps contribute to conflict and instability in parts of Africa, increasing displacement of local populations.
The UK is working with African and international partners to strengthen regional security, build resilience and address the long-term drivers of insecurity. In November 2024, we announced sanctions on those linked to Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic. We are also disrupting irregular migration through our irregular migration sanctions regime, action with partners to reduce its drivers and enablers, and safely and respectfully returning those individuals with no right to remain in the UK.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 (a) peace and (b) stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK is committed to supporting peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The UK condemns M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) advances in Eastern DRC as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and calls for the immediate withdrawal of all RDF from Congolese territory.
The UK has provided £62 million in humanitarian assistance this financial year, delivering vital services such as clean water, malnutrition treatment, and support for survivors of sexual violence. We will continue to engage with regional leaders to support African-led peace efforts by urging all sides to engage in good faith in finding a political solution.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken to Rwandan President Kagame, South African Foreign Minister Lamola and DRC President Tshisekedi. Lord Collins has spoken to the Rwandan, DRC and Angolan Foreign Ministers.
The UK calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities, facilitate humanitarian access, and return to inclusive diplomatic talks, particularly through the Luanda process. Engagement in good faith in African-led processes will be key. There can be no military solution. We are actively considering next steps, alongside international partners, including the possibility of a review of all UK support to Rwanda.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the new government of Syria on protecting the human rights of (a) Muslim minorities and (b) Christian minorities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, including religious and ethnic minorities, publicly and in our engagement with regional and international partners. The UK joined talks in Aqaba on 14 December, hosted by Jordan, with Arab, US, UN and EU partners during which we collectively expressed commitment to supporting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process based on the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government. We also underlined the importance of respect for human rights, including for minorities.
During a meeting with the new interim Syrian authorities earlier this week in Damascus, senior FCDO officials underlined the importance of an inclusive transitional political process which protects the rights of all Syrians.
We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to re-open the British Embassy in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Currently, there are no plans to reopen our embassy in Damascus. We will keep this under review.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the new government of Syria on including women in senior roles in the (a) government, (b) judiciary, (c) peace and reconciliation dialogue, (d) inter-faith dialogue and (e) Syrian business and industry associations.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the UK's engagement with international partners and Syrian contacts, we have stressed the importance of inclusivity and respect for human rights, including for women and minorities.
Senior FCDO officials recently travelled to Damascus, where they discussed the importance of an inclusive transitional political process, protecting the rights of all Syrians. The UK joined talks in Aqaba on 14 December, hosted by Jordan, with Arab, US, UN and EU partners, during which we collectively underlined the importance of respect for human rights, including for women.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support the release of Ukrainian civilians taken hostage by the Russian military who are not subject to the military prisoner exchange programme.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK consistently draws attention to Russia's abhorrent actions in Ukraine, including arbitrary detentions of civilians. In the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, alongside other participating states, we have invoked the Moscow Mechanism four times since Russia's full-scale invasion. The most recent of these reports, published in April, exposed Russia's arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians. We call again on Russia to uphold its obligations under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, and to release all arbitrarily detained civilians.