Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) Federal Government of Iraq and (b) Kurdistan Regional Government on the operation of the 2005 Iraqi constitution.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly engages with leaders of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), including during the recent visit of the Security Minister, Tom Tughendhat, in August. Following the incident in Kirkuk the British Embassy in Iraq met a range of Iraqi counterparts and continues to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues. The UK supports all efforts to ensure a secure, stable and thriving KRI exists within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. The British Consulate General Erbil regularly meets with stakeholders from the disputed territories to understand the situation on the ground and how the disputed nature of these areas is causing challenges for Iraqi citizens. The UK hopes to see provincial council elections go ahead peacefully on 18 December, following the unrest in early September.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 130041 on Iraq: Kurds, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure there is a strong and successful Kurdistan region within Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - 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. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage all parties to work together to resolve outstanding regional issues. The importance of our strong and strategic partnership with the KRI was further reinforced during visits by the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon in March, and Security Minister Tom Tughendhat in August this year. Through various funding mechanisms, including Official Development Assistance, and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the UK continues to support efforts to tackle underlying drivers of instability across Iraq and KRI.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken to help encourage the resolution of disputes between the federal government in Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a secure, stable and thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Ministers and senior UK officials have advocated repeatedly for unity and increased cooperation within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). We continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues where they exist, including around budget, salary payments, security cooperation and the oil and gas sector. The UK is supporting Iraq as it undertakes the bold long-term reforms needed to put Iraq's economy and society on a stable long-term footing.
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, what information his Department holds on the (a) political and (b) fiscal relationships between the regional and federal governments in the Kurdistan region and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a secure, stable, and thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Ministers and senior UK officials have advocated repeatedly for unity and increased cooperation within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). We continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues where they exist, including around budget, salary payments, security cooperation and the oil and gas sector. The UK is supporting Iraq as it undertakes the bold long-term reforms needed to put Iraq's economy and society on a stable long-term footing.
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, what representations he has made to the Iraqi government on (a) the recent deaths of Kurds in Kirkuk and (b) potential mediation by the United Nations.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly engages with leaders of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), including during the recent visit of the Security Minister, Tom Tughendhat in August. Following the recent incident in Kirkuk the British Embassy in Iraq has met a range of Iraqi counterparts and continues to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues. The UK supports all efforts to ensure a secure, stable, and thriving KRI exists within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.
Written Evidence Sep. 14 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s international counter-terrorism policyFound: fighters” escaped the facility”22 and escapees may have been involved in subsequent ISIS attacks in Iraq
Written Evidence Sep. 14 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s international counter-terrorism policyFound: 63 percent of British women now detained in NES may have been trafficked into or within Syria or Iraq
Oral Evidence Sep. 12 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s international counter-terrorism policyFound: inquiry—that the invasion of Iraq created a lot of grievance and made it more likely that people
Oral Evidence Sep. 12 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s international counter-terrorism policyFound: inquiry—that the invasion of Iraq created a lot of grievance and made it more likely that people
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
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 the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continue to monitor the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Journalists and political activists continue to face intimidation and indefinite detention, and conservative norms and discriminatory laws harm women and girls and the LGBT+ community.
The UK remains committed to pressing the case for improvements in the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and raises these issues regularly with senior figures.