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: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users for whom English is not their first language and those who require visual and tactile services, under the provision of the Equality Act.
Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
In FY 23/24 the total contracted spend was £915,037.52.
In FY 24/25 the total contracted spend was £1,003,283.32.
In FY 25/26 so far, the total contracted spend is £256,707.82.
The languages in this data exclude written translations into English, Welsh and Braille.
The languages translated into from English (United Kingdom) are:
Albanian (Albania)
Amharic (Ethiopia)
Arabic (Classical)
Arabic (Egypt)
Arabic (Modern Standard) Middle Eastern
Arabic (Modern Standard) North African
Arabic (Morocco)
Armenian (Armenia)
Bangla (Bangladesh)
Bosnian (Latin, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
Burmese
Burmese (Myanmar)
Catalan (Catalan)
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian (Latin, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Czech (Czech Republic)
Danish (Denmark)
Dari (Afghanistan)
Dutch (Netherlands)
Estonian (Estonia)
Filipino (Philippines)
Finnish (Finland)
French (Belgium)
French (France)
Georgian (Georgia)
German (Austria)
German (Germany)
Greek (Greece)
Gujarati (India)
Hebrew (Israel)
Hindi (India)
Hungarian (Hungary)
Icelandic (Iceland)
Indonesian (Indonesia)
Italian (Italy)
Japanese (Japan)
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)
Kiswahili (Kenya)
Korean (Korea)
Kurdish (Bahdini)
Kurdish (Sorani)
Latvian (Latvia)
Lingala (Congo DRC)
Lithuanian (Lithuania)
Macedonian (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Malay (Malaysia)
Malayalam (India)
Maltese (Malta)
Mirpuri (Central Asia)
Mongolian (Cyrillic, Mongolia)
Nepali (Nepal)
Norwegian, Bokmål (Norway)
Norwegian, Nynorsk (Norway)
Oromo (Ethiopia)
PahariPotwari (Central Asia)
Pashto (Afghanistan)
Persian (Afghanistan)
Persian (Iran)
Polish (Poland)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Punjabi (India)
Punjabi (Pakistan)
Romanian (Romania)
Romany (Europe)
Russian (Russia)
Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia)
Serbian (Latin, Serbia)
Shona (Latin, Zimbabwe)
Sinhala (Sri Lanka)
Slovak (Slovakia)
Slovenian (Slovenia)
Somali (Somalia)
Spanish (Argentina)
Spanish (Latin America)
Spanish (Mexico)
Spanish (Spain)
Swedish (Sweden)
Tajik (Cyrillic, Tajikistan)
Tamazight (Latin, Algeria)
Tamil (India)
Tetum (Timor)
Thai (Thailand)
Tigrinya (Eritrea)
Turkish (Turkey)
Ukranian (Ukraine)
Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan)
Uzbek (Latin, Uzbekistan)
Vietnamese (Vietnam)
Wolof (Senegal)
Yoruba (Nigeria)
The Languages translated into from English (United States) are:
Arabic (Egypt)
Hungarian (Hungary)
Polish (Poland)
Romanian (Romania)
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Armenia on tackling the transit of goods from (a) western countries to Russia and (b) Russia to western countries through Armenia in order to circumvent sanctions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I raised the issue of Russian sanctions evasion with the Armenian Foreign Minister on 11 April, in the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, as I have with other international partners. The UK Government has issued tailored guidance to UK exporters working with businesses in several countries, including Armenia, to raise awareness of the risks associated with sanctions circumvention and to support compliance with UK sanctions law. The UK Government has also recently published guidance for non-UK businesses operating in countries where there is a heightened risk of circumvention of UK sanctions. This guidance has been translated into local languages including Armenian.
As I have reiterated in my conversations with international partners, including Armenia, maintaining vigilance against Russian sanctions evasion is critical. Any circumvention undermines the effectiveness of international pressure on Russia and risks prolonging the war in Ukraine. I am pleased to see an ongoing decrease in Common High Priority (CHP) items exported from Armenia to Russia over the course of the past year.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of arrests made in the Republic of Armenia of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan; and the impact the arrests may have on freedom of religion in Armenia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is monitoring the recent arrests of opposition figures in Armenia, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. It is important that due process is allowed to take its course, ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law and that judicial proceedings remain transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed 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 the rights to freedom of religion or belief, and of association and assembly, in Armenia; and what representations they have made to the government of Armenia in this regard in recent months.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief, as well as the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, globally. Upholding international human rights is essential to ensure everyone can enjoy these freedoms without fear or discrimination. The UK raised human rights issues during Armenia's recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 May, where a number of recommendations were made.
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 recent arrests of actual or perceived opposition leaders in Armenia, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, on allegations of plotting terrorist acts to seize power.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is monitoring the recent arrests of opposition figures in Armenia, including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. It is important that due process is allowed to take its course, ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law and that judicial proceedings remain transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief globally.
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 McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the situation and vulnerability of the Armenian community in Jerusalem; what plans they have to send a formal delegation to visit the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem; and whether they plan to meet the Armenia Community in Jerusalem, and members of the Save the Armenian Quarter movement.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK recognises that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. His Majesty's Government continue to support the cultural presence and identity in East Jerusalem. Our officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meet with members of the Christian community and Churches in Jerusalem, including the Armenian Patriarchate, to understand the impact of issues affecting their community.
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 Bishop of Southwark (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 for the release of prisoners in Nagorno–Karabakh.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK urges the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during September 2023's military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. Our Embassy in Baku pays close attention to the cases and have sought regular updates to stay informed about progress. We have also been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war. The Minister of State Stephen Doughty raised these issues with Azerbaijan's Presidential Advisor, Elchin Amirbayov, during his visit to the UK in October. In a meeting with Azerbaijan's Principal Presidential Advisor, Hikmet Hajiyev, on 10 March, the Minister of State also urged Azerbaijan to seize the opportunity to sign an historic peace deal with Armenia. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have also conveyed these messages.