Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support civil society engagement in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government hugely values the role of civil society in the South Caucasus, and supports their work in Armenia and Azerbaijan through both diplomatic engagement and programming. We engage with organisations focused on peace, security, democracy, equality, and inclusion, and work with representative groups to strengthen civil society's role in both countries' development and stability. We also support efforts by Armenian and Azerbaijani think tanks to foster dialogue, building trust ahead of a hoped‑for historic peace agreement. During my visit to Baku and Yerevan in August 2025, I met civil society representatives to discuss key issues and reaffirm the UK's commitment to supporting civil society across the region. We regularly raise the importance of maintaining civil society space and rights.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh since the signing of the Joint Declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington DC in August 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 September to Question 69852.
I met both the Armenian and Azerbaijan Foreign Ministers for constructive discussions in the margins of the OSCE Ministerial on 5 December 2025.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the threat of Russian-backed disinformation campaigns to (a) peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, (b) Armenian democracy and (c) relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Together with our international partners, we remain committed to supporting lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and to safeguarding Armenia's electoral integrity and democratic resilience, including against any attempted acts of information manipulation and interference by Russia. Working closely with our international partners, we are always ready to defend the information environment and will always act to disrupt any malign activity targeting democratic elections. I held constructive discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the OSCE Ministerial on 4 December.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with her Azerbaijani counterpart on reports of harassment of religious leaders, including instances of torture and sexual assault; and what steps she is taking to promote religious freedom in the country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our bilateral work. We regularly raise human rights obligations and commitments with the Azerbaijani authorities.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department supports the right of return for Armenians ethnically cleansed from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is essential that Azerbaijan makes its recovered territories safe for the return of its own internally displaced population and provides clarity on the rights and security of ethnic Armenians who wish to return. To this end, we strongly welcome the initialling of a peace agreement and the signing of a joint declaration by President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan on 8 August in Washington, and commend President Trump's role in securing this breakthrough. The UK stands ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan in securing long-term peace, stability, and prosperity for the South Caucasus - I discussed how the UK could do this in practical terms with both leaders during my visit to Baku and Yerevan on 25 and 26 August respectively.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on private sector investment by UK companies in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to promoting sustainable economic growth and supporting British businesses overseas. During my visit to Baku on the 24 and 25 August, I discussed economic cooperation and commercial opportunities across Azerbaijan with President Aliyev, Foreign Minister Bayramov, and UK businesses operating in Azerbaijan. This Government's growth mission places an emphasis on unlocking opportunities for UK companies in emerging markets, including the South Caucasus. We continue to encourage responsible investment that supports growth in alignment with regional stability and international legal obligations.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing an arms embargo on Azerbaijan until it complies with international legal obligations relating to (a) Nagorno-Karabakh and (b) the right of return for Armenians.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK warmly welcomes the recent progress made by Armenia and Azerbaijan towards peace, as summarised by the joint declaration made by their respective leaders in Washington on 8 August. I visited Baku and Yerevan on 25 and 26 August respectively and met with President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan to discuss our support for the recent agreements and to upgrade our relationships to strategic partnerships with both countries. Export licence applications for Azerbaijan are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, and licences are not issued where doing so would be inconsistent with these criteria, and wider policies. We continue to keep our wider policies under review.
We have called for Azerbaijan to provide clarity on the rights and security of ethnic Armenians who wish to return to Karabakh.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and what steps he is taking to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief in efforts to secure a peaceful resolution.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urges both sides to sign the agreement as soon as possible in the interest of lasting peace and stability in the region. We remain ready to support further progress wherever it may be helpful. The recent meeting between the leaders in Tirana marked a positive step forward, and we continue to encourage peaceful dialogue to address the remaining challenges. I reiterated this message during my engagements with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in April, as well as with Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Yalchin Rafiyev, on 30 April. The Foreign Secretary also conveyed this message during his phone call with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 17 June.
The UK Government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief globally.
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 reported attacks in Khoznavar in Armenia allegedly by Azerbaijan in April, and what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan to protect civilian lives and infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are aware of reporting that alleges ceasefire violations and we are following the situation closely. The UK government welcomes Armenia and Azerbaijan's agreement on a peace deal and urges them to sign it as soon as possible, to provide security and stability to the region. We continue to urge both sides to refrain from rhetoric or action that could undermine prospects for peace. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, underlined our support for a long-lasting peace deal with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 11 April at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in a call with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 29 April and in a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev on 30 April.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of York (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan advocating for the continued operation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned at reports about the potential closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Azerbaijan. The ICRC must remain unimpeded in its work to provide humanitarian assistance, protect lives, and uphold rights worldwide, including in Azerbaijan. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty MP raised this issue in a meeting with Azerbaijan's Principal Presidential Advisor, Hikmet Hajiyev, on 10 March.