Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Djibouti on fundamental freedoms including religious expression in that country.

The United Kingdom participated, alongside our EU partners, in the regular Article 8 Dialogue with the Government of Djibouti in April 2018, where concerns about the inhibition of fundamental freedoms were raised.

The Foreign Secretary announced, on 31 October, our intention to open a new Embassy in Djibouti by the end of March 2020. A permanent presence in Djibouti, part of the Government's increased resource to deliver the Prime Minister's new approach to Africa, will enable a broader and more regular dialogue with the Government of Djibouti.