Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights violations against Shia Muslims in Azerbaijan, as detailed in the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report Country Update: Azerbaijan, published on 5 December.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises that there are ongoing challenges in Azerbaijan in relation to Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), particularly for devout Muslims. The Minister for Europe raised human rights with Foreign Minister Bayramov during his visit to Baku on 22 November. On 14 November during Azerbaijan's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council the UK reiterated our concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly and called on Azerbaijan to improve human rights protections for all.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on (a) the preservation of Christian religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, (b) regulations on religious practice and (c) other protections for Christians from repression and intimidation in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches and other sites of religious significance in both Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of their long-running conflict. The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. British Embassies in Yerevan and Baku have raised the need to protect such sites with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments consistently and at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps with counterparts in Azerbaijan to track the final destinations of UK exported vehicles.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has banned the direct export of thousands of goods to Russia, including luxury vehicles. UK Regulations also prohibit the circumvention of our sanctions. We have been clear to UK business that they need to satisfy themselves that their goods will not end up in Russia. With EU and US partners, we are engaging a range of third countries to reduce the risk of sanctioned goods reaching Russia.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Global Witness on 8 November 2023 that BP and its project partners had transferred $35 billion-worth of oil and gas production to the government of Azerbaijan since 2020, the year that war broke out in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and whether they plan to take any action in response.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has made no such assessment.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
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 implications for his policies of recent clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the significant refugee flows from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. On 29 September, the UK Government announced that it is giving £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Alongside contributions from others, this will help fund life-saving medication, healthcare, and other essential support to those affected by the recent conflict. We continue to urge both Armenia and Azerbaijan to do all they can to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation, and to return to substantive peace negotiations. We will continue to monitor the situation, in close cooperation with our international partners.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is reviewing (a) commercial relations with and (b) UK imports of oil from Azerbaijan in the context of border violations and military manoeuvres in the Lachin Corridor.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK recognises Azerbaijan's role as a reliable energy partner that plays an important role in the global energy landscape. However, energy is only part of our overall relationship with Azerbaijan, and it is those broad ties which enable us to have wide-reaching conversations with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani Government on a range of themes, including the unfolding situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Jul. 18 2023
Source Page: UK/Azerbaijan: Agreement on International Road Transport [CS Azerbaijan No.1/2023]Found: UK/Azerbaijan: Agreement on International Road Transport [CS Azerbaijan No.1/2023]
Jul. 18 2023
Source Page: UK/Azerbaijan: Agreement on International Road Transport [CS Azerbaijan No.1/2023]Found: UK/Azerbaijan: Agreement on International Road Transport [CS Azerbaijan No.1/2023]