Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Azeri counterpart on human rights in that country in the last month.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has not made any representations to his counterpart in the last month. I visited Baku in November and discussed concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan with both the President and the Foreign Minister. I also highlighted concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan in my blog to mark International Human Rights day on 10 December. UK officials also raise concerns at a number of levels on a regular basis.