Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential for international negotiations to support peace in Armenia.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are working with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and our international partners to encourage both parties to continue peace negotiations. An agreement on 7 December between Armenia and Azerbaijan for prisoner transfers and mutual support for hosting COP29 in Baku was a positive demonstration of what can be achieved through negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. The UK has urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in internationally mediated negotiations to conclude an historic final peace settlement, and we will continue to promote this where possible.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Azerbaijan on that country's dispute with Armenia; and whether he is taking steps to support peace in the region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
I [Minister Docherty] underlined the UK's support for the sovereignty and security of the region during a visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November, and officials are delivering this message in their ongoing engagements with Armenia and Azerbaijan. The UK has urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in internationally mediated negotiations to conclude a final peace settlement. Direct dialogue is the only way to secure stability and security for the region. We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue full negotiations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support security in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
I underlined the UK's support for the sovereignty and security of the region during a visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November. The UK has urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in joint and internationally-mediated negotiations to conclude a final peace settlement. We welcomed the two countries' historic joint statement of 7 December, in which important confidence-building measures were announced, aimed at reaching an historic agreement and securing lasting peace for the region.
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: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has provided humanitarian support to people in Armenia who have been displaced by the Azerbaijani offensive and reoccupation in Nagorno-Zarabakh.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is providing £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support. We are liaising with the UN, ICRC and others to further assess humanitarian need in the region. We welcome Azerbaijan's decision to grant UN access into Nagorno-Karabakh and encourage them to continue to support international efforts to address humanitarian need. We also welcome Armenian government and international support to the 100,000 or more people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) detainment and (b) treatment of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have raised Dr Ibadoghlu's case, including his access to medication and fair legal process, on a number of occasions with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government in both London and Baku. I [Minister Docherty] spoke with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov in person about this case on 22 November during my visit to Baku. The former Foreign Secretary also raised the issue in a call on 17 October. Our Ambassador and other officials from the British Embassy in Baku continue to press the case with senior counterparts and to monitor the legal process. On 14 November, the UK delivered a statement during Azerbaijan's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council highlighting this case. We urge Azerbaijan to improve human rights protections for all.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
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 counterparts in the Azerbaijani government on Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have raised Dr Ibadoghlu's case, including his access to medication and fair legal process, on a number of occasions with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government in both London and Baku. I [Minister Docherty] spoke with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov in person about this case on 22 November during my visit to Baku. The former Foreign Secretary also raised the issue in a call on 17 October. Our Ambassador and other officials from the British Embassy in Baku continue to press the case with senior counterparts and to monitor the legal process. On 14 November, the UK delivered a statement during Azerbaijan's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council highlighting this case. We urge Azerbaijan to improve human rights protections for all.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which countries do not have a resident UK Defence Attache.
Answered by James Heappey
The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK Defence Attaché (DA) is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility. This ensures that we have coverage across the world’s regions.
Country (NRA) | Location of DA |
Angola | Pretoria – South Africa |
Anguilla | Jamaica - Kingston |
Antigua & Barbua | Jamaica - Kingston |
Armenia | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Azerbaijan | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Bahamas | Jamaica - Kingston |
Barbados | Jamaica - Kingston |
Belarus | Ukraine – Kyiv |
Belize | Jamaica - Kingston |
Benin | Accra - Ghana |
Bermuda | USA – Washington DC |
Bolivia | UK – London |
Botswana | Harare - Zimbabwe |
British Virgin Islands | Jamaica - Kingston |
Burkina Faso | Ghana - Accra |
Burundi | Uganda – Kampala |
Cambodia | Singapore |
Cape Verde Islands | UK-London |
Cayman Islands | Jamaica – Kingston |
Congo | UK - London |
Cuba | Mexico – Mexico City |
Djibouti | Ethiopia – Addis Ababa |
Dominica Dominican Republic | Jamaica - Kingston |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kampala - Uganda |
Eritrea | Sana’a - Yemen |
Ecuador | Bogota - Colombia |
Gabon | London |
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 |
Lesotho | South Africa - Pretoria |
Liberia | Sierra Leone - Freetown |
Libya | Libya - Tripoli |
Malawi | Zimbabwe – Harare |
Malta | Rome |
Mauritania | Morocco – Rabat |
Monaco | France – Paris |
Mongolia | Japan – Tokyo |
Montenegro | Tirana – Albania |
Myanmar | Singapore (BDS SEA) |
Montserrat | Jamaica - Kingston |
Mozambique | South Africa – Pretoria |
Panama City | Puerto Rico |
Namibia | South Africa – Pretoria |
Niger | Mali - Bamako |
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 |
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 | Jamaica - Kingston |
Uruguay | Argentina - Buenos Aires |
Vanuatu | Fiji – Suva |
Venezuela | Bogota - Colombia |
Zambia | Zimbabwe - Harare |
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government is clear that only substantive talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan can finally end the long-running conflict in the region. The former Foreign Secretary spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 10 October and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Bayramov on 17 October to outline our position. The UK's statement to the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) on 9 November urged both sides to make progress on a lasting settlement in the interests of the region, and to resolve remaining issues peacefully through dialogue.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.