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Written Question
Azerbaijan: Motor Vehicles
Thursday 28th March 2024

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.


Written Question
Methane: Pollution Control
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of recent global action on reducing levels of methane emissions.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is committed to the Global Methane Pledge, collectively to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030.

COP28 mobilised action, with countries including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan joining the Pledge. We also welcomed new regulatory initiatives, companies committing to the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter, and the Methane Finance Sprint mobilising funding. The UK committed £2 million to help developing countries address energy-related methane emissions.

The International Energy Agency has recently reported that methane emissions from fossil fuels are set to decline once recent announcements are implemented.


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Cultural Heritage
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his Armenian counterpart on the protection of Armenian Christian cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh in Open Door UK’s World Watch List, published on17 January 2024.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

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. Ministers and the 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. Open Door UK's World Watch List provides a sobering account of the extreme difficulties faced by many Christians around the world. We note the report's comments regarding Azerbaijan and regularly raise human rights issues with the Azerbaijani Government.


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Churches and Cultural Heritage
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Azerbaijan on the (a) condition and (b) security of Armenian Christian (i) churches and (ii) other heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK Government is 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 or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. UK Ministers and the British Embassy in Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at the most senior levels.


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Refugees
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking diplomatic steps to help ensure the right of return to Nagorno-Karabakh of Christian Armenians.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK Government is clear that Azerbaijan must create the conditions for a safe and secure return of ethnic Armenians who were displaced during September's military operation and want to return. We welcomed Azerbaijan's provision of a registration portal, though more work is needed to assist those considering a return. Ministers and officials have discussed these issues with the Azerbaijani Government and encourage Azerbaijan to be proactive in enabling the return of those who wish to do so.


Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Exports
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on the level of vehicle exports to Azerbaijan.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

DBT ministers regularly meet with sector bodies and companies to discuss a variety of issues. This includes meetings with The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and automotive companies where trade issues are discussed.


Written Question
Armenia: Azerbaijan
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

I [Minister Docherty] visited Yerevan and Baku in November 2023. I underlined to President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan the UK's support for negotiations to conclude a peace settlement; meaningful direct dialogue is the only way to secure stability and security for the region. The UK welcomed the meeting between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan in Munich on 17 February and that between Foreign Ministers Mirzoyan and Bayramov in Berlin on 28 - 29 February. We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue negotiations in order to finalise a lasting peace agreement and we stand ready to support them in doing so.


Written Question
Military Attachés
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2023 to Question 1027 on Military Attachés, if he will publish an updated list of countries without a resident UK Defence Attache.

Answered by James Heappey

The Global Defence Network (GDN) utilises Resident and Non-Resident Defence Attachés (DA), who engage in Defence diplomacy in over three-quarters of the world’s nations. The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK DA is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility.

Country (NRA)

Location of DA

Angola

Mozambique - Maputo

Anguilla (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Antigua & Barbuda

Jamaica - Kingston

Armenia

Georgia – Tbilisi

Azerbaijan

Georgia – Tbilisi

Bahamas

Jamaica - Kingston

Barbados

Jamaica - Kingston

Belarus

Ukraine – Kyiv

Belize

Jamaica - Kingston

Benin

Accra - Ghana

Bermuda (British overseas territory)

USA – Washington DC

Botswana

Harare - Zimbabwe

British Virgin Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Burkina Faso

Ghana - Accra

Burundi

Uganda – Kampala

Cambodia

(In process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi

Cayman Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica – Kingston

Chad

Cameroon - Yaoundé

Cuba

Mexico – Mexico City

Djibouti

Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

Dominica

Jamaica - Kingston

Dominican Republic

Jamaica - Kingston

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kampala - Uganda

Eritrea

Sana’a - Yemen (temporarily relocated to Riyadh)

Ecuador

Bogota - Colombia

Grenada

Jamaica - Kingston

Guinea

Sierra Leone – Freetown

Guyana

Jamaica - Kingston

Guatemala

Mexico – Mexico City

Guinea-Bissau

Senegal - Dakar

Haiti

Jamaica - Kingston

Hungary

Croatia - Zagreb

Iceland

Norway - Oslo

Ivory Coast

Ghana – Accra

Khartoum

Egypt - Cairo

Kosovo

Macedonia - Skopje

Kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan – Astana

Laos

(in process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi

Lesotho

South Africa - Pretoria

Liberia

Sierra Leone - Freetown

Luxembourg

Belgium - Brussels

Malawi

Zimbabwe – Harare

Mali

Senegal - Dakar

Malta

Rome - Italy

Mauritania

Morocco – Rabat

Monaco

France – Paris

Mongolia

Japan – Tokyo

Myanmar

Thailand - Bangkok

Montserrat (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Namibia

South Africa – Pretoria

Niger

Cameroon – Yaoundé

Papua New Guinea

Australia – Canberra

Paraguay

Argentina – Buenos Aires

Peru

Colombia - Bogota

Rwanda

Uganda – Kampala

Seychelles

Kenya - Nairobi

St Kitts & Nevis

Jamaica - Kingston

St Lucia

Jamaica - Kingston

St Vincent

Jamaica - Kingston

Slovakia

Czech Rep - Prague

Slovenia

Austria – Vienna

South Sudan

Addis Ababa – Ethiopia

Switzerland

Vienna - Austria

Syria

Lebanon - Beirut

Tajikistan

Kazakhstan – Astana

Tanzania

Kenya – Nairobi

The Gambia

Senegal - Dakar

Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Indonesia - Jakarta

Togo

Ghana – Accra

Tonga

Fiji – Suva

Trinidad & Tobago

Jamaica - Kingston

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan - Tashkent

Turks & Caicos Islands (British overseas territory)

Jamaica - Kingston

Uruguay

Argentina - Buenos Aires

Vanuatu

Fiji – Suva

Venezuela

Bogota - Colombia

Zambia

Zimbabwe - Harare

Supported by MOD from in the UK

Cape Verdi Islands

Congo

Gabon

Panama

Puerto Rica


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Cultural Heritage
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan concerning the protection of the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. The British Embassy in Baku has raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.


Written Question
Armenia: Azerbaijan
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of changes in relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK welcomes the recent meeting between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan in Munich on 17 February; meaningful direct dialogue is the only way to secure stability and security for the region. I [Minister Docherty] underlined the UK's support for negotiations to conclude a final peace settlement during my visit to Yerevan and Baku in November 2023. Officials are delivering this message in their ongoing engagements with Armenia and Azerbaijan. We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue full negotiations as soon as possible.