Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 promote stability in (a) Kurdistan and (b) the surrounding area.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage greater cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve their outstanding issues, as well as between the political parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).
Our focus remains on bolstering the region's stability through our bilateral programming and defence offer. As a leading member of the Global Coalition, the UK supports the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to tackle the threat from Daesh and promote stability. This is in addition to the UK's contribution to NATO Mission in Iraq.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of potential impact of Iranian interference in the Kurdistan region on that region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear eyed that Iran continues to destabilise the Middle East through its military, financial and political support for its proxies and partners.
Long-term peace and security cannot be achieved without addressing such activity. The UK works closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account and encourage de-escalation.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 promote relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a secure, stable and thriving Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. The UK regularly engages with leaders of the KRI and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including through their representations in London. We maintain our diplomatic presence in the KRI through the British Consulate General in Erbil. Through this platform, we continue to cooperate closely on our shared bilateral priorities, such as security and migration issues.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 global progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK has a mission to create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. Achieving SDG2 (Zero Hunger) is essential to accomplishing this mission, working in genuine partnership with others.
During the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in Rio on 22-24 July, I announced our intention to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty when it launches in November. The Alliance will be an essential platform for sharing solutions, exchanging expertise and unlocking much-needed finance to accelerate progress against hunger, poverty and malnutrition.