Include Kurds from Iraq and Iran in the streamlined asylum process
- Final Signatures: 5,299
We want the Government to include Kurds from Iraq and Iran in the streamlined asylum process which already includes Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
Found: Kurds in Iraq and Iran are facing oppression like the other countries already on the scheme.
Mentions:
1: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (LAB - Brighton, Kemptown) group for Kurdistan in Turkey and Syria.Last month I had the privilege of travelling to Kurdistan in Iraq - Speech Link
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the relationship between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the honourable member to my (Minister David Rutley) reply of 3 December 2022 to his question 103053. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-12-05/103053.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of bilateral relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to strong relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government and Federal Government of Iraq and we want to see a strong and successful Kurdistan region within a thriving Iraq. We have a close and strategic partnership with the Kurdish Regional Government who continue to be a close ally in the fight against Daesh. In April 2022, the Prime Minister of the Kurdish Region of Iraq, Masrour Barzani, came to the UK on an official visit, meeting with the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and other Cabinet Ministers.
Mentions:
1: Fiona Bruce (CON - Congleton) In the ’80s there was Saddam Hussein’s desecration of Kurds in Iraq. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Alicia Kearns (CON - Rutland and Melton) In Iraq, we have Iranian militia committing massacres against religious minorities, ostracising communities - Speech Link
2: Rupa Huq (IND - Ealing Central and Acton) He nearly died.”Others describe how minority populations, such as the Iranians Kurds and others from - Speech Link
3: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) , the head of the expeditionary forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, who was killed in Iraq - Speech Link
4: Leo Docherty (CON - Aldershot) She spoke interestingly and expertly about the regional contacts, especially in Iraq and Syria. - Speech Link
5: Alicia Kearns (CON - Rutland and Melton) As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the Kurdistan region in Iraq, I would be very grateful - Speech Link
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the current relationship between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a strong relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Federal Government of Iraq and we want to see a strong and successful Kurdistan region within a thriving Iraq. We continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues, including around budget, security cooperation and the oil and gas sector.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the infringement by Iran on the sovereignty of the Kurdistan region of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the continued attacks by Iran of areas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Iran must cease its indiscriminate bombardment of Kurdish towns which has led to the loss of innocent lives and damaged civilian infrastructure. These attacks are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity and are wholly unacceptable. They demonstrate a repeated pattern of Iranian destabilising activity in the region. The UK has condemned Iranian infringement of Iraqi sovereignty alongside likeminded partners at the United Nations Security Council. The UK remains committed to the security and sovereignty of Iraq and will continue to work with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure this.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, as a member of the OPCW (Organisation for the Prevention of use of Chemical Weapons), what plans they have, if any, to request an investigation into the allegations of chemical weapons being used against the Kurds in Northern Iraq.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes all allegations of chemical weapons use seriously. The use of chemical weapons is prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and is a clear threat to international peace and security. We will continue to uphold and protect the Convention's ban on the use of chemical weapons. The Government is aware of reports that chemical weapons were used in northern Iraq. We have no direct evidence to support these claims. We continue to monitor reports of use of riot control agents in Northern Iraq.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 June (HL724), what assessment they have made of further reports of chemical weapons being used against the Kurds in Northern Iraq.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes all allegations of chemical weapons use seriously. The use of chemical weapons is prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and is a clear threat to international peace and security. We will continue to uphold and protect the Convention's ban on the use of chemical weapons. The Government is aware of reports that chemical weapons were used in northern Iraq. We have no direct evidence to support these claims. We continue to monitor reports of use of riot control agents in Northern Iraq.