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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 January 2023.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the adoption of Security Council resolution on cross-border aid in Syria.

Thank you, President. The UK welcomes the confirmation of the UN’s cross-border mandate, which will continue to provide lifesaving assistance to those in need in North West Syria.

We also strongly welcome the unity of Council in their clear support for this humanitarian lifeline, and thank Switzerland, Brazil, Ireland and Norway for their leadership.

4.1 million Syrians rely on the food, medical supplies and other humanitarian products that the mechanism provides. For now, they can breathe a sigh of relief – in the knowledge that this support will continue. But we must ensure that we provide more certainty to them – and to those UN and NGO workers who serve them.

The humanitarian community consistently warns that shorter mandates result in a perpetual cycle of contingency planning, which limits the capacity to help those in need. The Secretary-General has been clear – the humanitarian imperative demands a 12 month mandate. Let that humanitarian call be the guiding principle of our future discussions..

We are pleased that, today, the Council has played its role in supporting the Syrian people. But the people of Syria deserve more. A genuine political process, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, is the only sustainable means of ending the suffering for the people of Syria.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 January 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat after the regime executed two more protestors.

Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini were executed by the Iranian authorities over the weekend, prompting widespread international condemnation. The UN responded to the executions by saying they followed ‘unfair trials based on forced confessions’.

The UK has repeatedly called on the regime to end the use of the death penalty, both publicly and directly with Iranian officials.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Today I have summoned the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires to condemn in the strongest possible terms the abhorrent executions we witnessed over the weekend.

The Iranian regime must end its campaign of brutal repression and start listening to the concerns of its people.

Stephen Hickey, Director Middle East and North Africa at the FCDO, held the meeting with Mehdi Hosseini Matin and underlined the UK’s opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.

Since the death of Mahsa Amini, the UK has imposed more than 40 human rights sanctions including on leading political, judicial and security officials in Iran, for their role in serious human rights violations.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 January 2023.

Vice President Šefčovič met Foreign Secretary Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Heaton-Harris in London on 9 January. They took stock of work to find joint solutions to the concerns raised by businesses and communities in Northern Ireland. The meeting was cordial and constructive.

They underlined the EU and UK’s shared commitment to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its parts, while protecting the integrity of both the EU Single Market and the UK internal market.

They agreed that while a range of critical issues need to be resolved to find a way forward, an agreement was reached today on the way forward regarding the specific question of the EU’s access to UK IT systems.

They noted this work was a critical prerequisite to building trust and providing assurance, and provided a new basis for EU-UK discussions.

EU and UK technical teams will work rapidly to scope the potential for solutions in different areas on the basis of this renewed understanding, and the Foreign Secretary, the Northern Ireland Secretary and Vice President Šefčovič would take stock of progress on 16 January.