Category: Press Releases

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 13/01/2020.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Heather Wheeler MP, begins her visit to Southeast Asia in Indonesia.

During her visit to Southeast Asia, the Minister will seek to strengthen our partnership with the region and will officially open the new UK’s Mission at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta.

Speaking ahead of her visit, Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Heather Wheeler said:

“This visit is a fantastic opportunity to engage with our friends in the region on a number of important issues and opportunities including trade, human tracking, climate change and technology.

As part of the UK’s ambition to broaden our horizons and look beyond Europe to tackle global challenges such as climate change, we are committed to working with the rapidly growing economies of Southeast Asia who are such vital partners in that endeavour.”

The Minister will meet with key members of both governments including Indonesian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar and Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung to promote 10 years of UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership.

While in Jakarta, Minister Wheeler will visit the UK’s new Mission to ASEAN which aims to deepen our engagement with the 10 member states, building on existing collaboration and exploring new ways to engage with the organisation and its members.

UK-ASEAN trade was at a 10-year high of £37.2 billion in 2018, with £16.7 billion of UK exports to ASEAN with both sides looking forward to expanding this further once the UK has left the European Union at the end of the month.

In Hanoi, the Minister will discuss Vietnam’s role as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 as well as their election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for the next 2 years.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/09/2019.

Troika Statement on the Formation of South Sudan’s Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.

The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the governments of the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom:

“South Sudan faces a critical moment in the journey toward a peaceful and prosperous future. There are now less than four weeks for political leaders to form a transitional government as they committed to in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway (the Troika) have consistently welcomed assurances by the parties to implement the agreement and meet its deadlines, and hoped that recent meetings between South Sudan’s leadership show a renewed spirit of cooperation. We commend the actions of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to broker the agreement and maintain momentum and take hope from the continued reduction in overall violence in South Sudan.

For too long, conflict has been waged at the expense of South Sudan’s most vulnerable and continues to exacerbate humanitarian needs. We encourage the parties, especially the current government, to take concrete steps to build trust through enhanced cooperation. With the November 12 deadline looming, extended from May, much more needs to be done urgently to ensure the success of the transitional government. Progress would help maintain the confidence of all the parties and the international community, demonstrate that the parties have the political will to work together during the transitional period, and provide the opportunity for the international community to engage productively with an inclusive, new government.

We welcome the discussions of IGAD countries in Addis Ababa last week; the region and the international community’s investment and engagement in a peaceful South Sudan remains important. The Troika will continue to stand with and support the people of South Sudan, who want and deserve peace and a government that that protects its people. We urge the South Sudanese parties to meet the November 12 deadline to form a transitional government that will enable the conditions for a constructive relationship during the next phase of South Sudan’s peace process. The UNSC visit to South Sudan offers an opportunity for the international community to discuss with South Sudanese leaders how to accelerate such progress.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/09/2019.

The agreement will ensure British businesses and consumers benefit from continued preferential trade with Georgia after we leave the EU.

The Foreign Secretary today signed an agreement between the UK and Georgia to ensure that our trade and political relationship remains strong after we leave the EU.

The deal – formally known as the UK-Georgia Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement – is the first continuity trade agreement between the UK and an Eastern European country.

it replicates the comprehensive market access for trade in goods and services the UK is party to under the EU agreement, further strengthening the trading relationship between the UK and Georgia trading under the terms outlined in the agreement, rather than on World Trade Organization terms, will ensure British businesses and consumers benefit from continued preferential access to Georgia after the UK leaves the European Union

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

The signing of this agreement gives British exporters and consumers the certainty they need to continue trading freely with Georgia, as the UK prepares to leave the EU. It underlines the significance of our strong ties with Georgia and will ensure that our political and trade relationship continues to flourish.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

The UK Government is committed to developing both our political and trading relationship with Georgia.

This agreement will ensure minimal disruption for businesses and consumers in both our countries as we prepare to leave the EU and usher in a new phase of cooperation between our two nations.

The Foreign Minister of Georgia David Zalkaliani said:

The signing of the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Georgia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will further foster our bilateral cooperation, which has its roots running deep in history and which has been brought to a particularly high level by the UK-Georgia Wardrop Strategic Dialogue. Partnership between two countries is based upon shared values and common interests, including in promoting rules-based international order, security and stability.

As well as setting out comprehensive free trade arrangements, the new deal frames how our countries will work together in the future. It highlights the UK’s support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as both countries’ commitment to strengthening fundamental freedoms and human rights and deepening our security relationship.

The agreement pledges that we will continue our cooperation in areas such as financial services, education, transport, industry and environmental protection. It also recognises Georgia’s strong commitment to an ambitious reform agenda in key areas such as governance, economic reform, trade and security policy.

Background

the UK maintains a strategic partnership with Georgia based on our support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders

Georgia becomes the 47th country with whom the UK has signed a trade continuity agreement

this agreement recognises Georgia’s continuing reform of its defence and security sectors, its strong commitment and contribution to international security and the significant progress it has made in realising its Euro-Atlantic aspirations

this agreement is designed to take effect when the EU-Georgia agreement ceases to apply to the UK, either following an implementation period or a no-deal Brexit. The agreement will be subject to the domestic parliamentary procedures in both the UK and Georgia before it is brought into force.

the UK-Georgia Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement replicates the effects of the existing trade and non-trade provisions as far as possible

the comprehensive new agreement delivers the same level of liberalisation in trade, services and public procurement currently enjoyed under the original EU-Georgia Association Agreement
trade between the UK and Georgia was worth £95 million in 2018 – statistics sourced from ONS ‘UK total trade: all countries, non-seasonally adjusted January to March 2019 release’. Figures relate to 2018

the UK has now secured agreements with countries that accounted for £100 billion of trade in 2018

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 09/01/2020.

Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council Open Debate on upholding the United Nations Charter.

Mr President, thank you, Minister, for coming here to be with us, and all the other ministers who’ve honored the Council with their presence today. And once again, how nice it is to have Mary Robinson with us representing the Elders. And thank you for all the work that the Elders do to uphold the Charter. We very much welcome as well, Mr President the spirit of collaboration, which the Viet Nam mission has brought to this enterprise, including on the presidential statement, which we hope the Council will adopt today.

We’ve heard many quotes, Mr President, from the Charter. Nobody could accuse the founding members of a lack of ambition when they drafted the Charter. But at times, the United Nations has often suffered from an almost unbridgeable gap between the power of its central vision and the actual actions it has been able to carry out. And by the United Nations, I don’t just mean the UN bodies, but I mean we, the member states, as well. And yet the United Nations takes action that directly affects the lives of millions of ordinary citizens. The UN has 13 peacekeeping missions operating in regions that are home to 1.8 billion people. The World Food Programme delivers food to nearly 87 million people in 83 countries, providing 15 billion meals. In 2018, UNHCR supported 2.24 million refugees and UNWRA supported a further 5.5 million Palestinians. And the WHO vaccinates hundreds of millions of people. In 2018, it vaccinated almost half the world’s children and it has eradicated smallpox. And it is close to eradicating polio; the world is 98 percent free.

Mr President, if the UN did not exist, we would have to create it. And the Charter makes very clear the emphasis on states to cooperate, to harmonise actions to attain common ends. I hope we can remember that article of the Charter as we deal with some of these intractable issues of peace and security on the Security Council.

Mr President, I was very struck by what Kofi Annan said in his farewell address to the United Nations in 2006. He said, ‘together we have pushed some big rocks up to the top of the mountain even if others have slipped from our grasp and rolled back down. But that the mountain is the best place to be even with bracing winds because of its global views’. The rules-based international system, Mr President, which the Charter embodies is the best prescription to those bracing winds and the rocks rolling back down the hill.

The United Kingdom has the honour to be a founding member of the United Nations, like some other members here today. And we share the belief in the rules-based international system and the UN’s role at the apex of it. And as we leave the European Union, the United Kingdom looks forward to having the UN as an even more important stage for British foreign policy as an active and independent force. And we very much hope that as my foreign secretary has said, a force for good so that we can cooperate with other colleagues to strengthen the security and prosperity that the UN has helped create over recent decades.

In a world where change is moving at an ever increasing pace the Charter should be seen as a framework around which we can construct our responses to those challenges. And it should be an enabler, a point of reference and the constant source to which we turn in a world burdened with increasing complexity and uncertainty. Used in such a way, as we heard from the Secretary-General and others today, the Charter gives us what we need to help us head off crises, de-escalate confrontations and develop effective responses to conflict. And again, I draw colleagues attention to the things we are battling with on the Council, notably Libya, Yemen, Syria and tensions in the Gulf.

We should not, Mr President, regard the Charter as a straitjacket. We want to have options for collaboration and for action. We don’t want to reduce those options artificially because if we do, we bring only decrement to the people we represent and serve.

The Secretary-General and other colleagues have highlighted peace-keeping. I want to pay tribute at this point, if I may, to Brian Urquhart, who will be 101 next month. He did more than many people to set up the UN’s peacekeeping arrangements. And that is not something that appears in the Charter, nor do special political missions. Rather, they are an excellent example of member states working together within the framework of the Charter and in the context of the Security Council to address the challenges of yesterday and today.

Mr President, we believe we need to retain this forward-looking spirit as we look for ideas to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, such as the growth in new technology, to which my Prime Minister referred in his General Assembly speech, the challenges of anti-microbial resistance or the impacts of climate change. These were not foreseen by the drafters of the charter, but they remain very much on our minds.

While we face new threats that the founders of the UN did not see, the responsibility that all parts of the UN hold remains, and the Secretary-General drew attention to this as well. It’s a well-worn phrase, but with great power comes great responsibility. And I think that’s also something we should bear in mind. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, but others, including the Secretary-General through Article 99 of the charter, also has a vital role to play. And I would like to echo what the Secretary-General said about Article 25 and the need to uphold the decisions of the Security Council in this context.

Mr President, a few people have mentioned reform and veto reform, so let me set out the UK’s position. We are a signatory to the ACT Code of Conduct, which commits us not to vote against credible Security Council action to stop mass atrocities and crimes against humanity. But the fact that we do not all agree on the veto should not prevent us making progress in pursuing other areas of Security Council reform.

Mr President, I want to say a word about state sovereignty. Respect for equality, for state sovereignty, for the principle that countries are all equal and that stronger countries should help weaker countries – this cannot be used as an excuse for failing to address conflicts or violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. It is violence and conflicts and not our attempts to help member states prevent those that threaten state sovereignty. And I would draw colleagues’ attention to Article 2 of the Charter, which makes clear that nothing should upset the fundamental rights that the Charter sets out.

I’d like to close, if I may, Mr President, by referring to the current situation in the Middle East, the status featured in our debate today. My foreign secretary has recently been visiting Washington, and I would like to reprise what he said there. He said that we recognise the danger and threat that Iran poses to the Middle East. We recognise the right to self-defense. At the same time, we want to see tensions de-escalated. We want to find a diplomatic way through. And this is why the remarks we’ve heard recently about a diplomatic solution are so important. It means also that the government in Iran should be willing and committed to a diplomatic outcome as well. And I can pledge, Mr President, the United Kingdom stands ready to assist any diplomatic efforts.

Thank you.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 10/01/2020.

The Foreign Secretary has issued a statement about the Foreign & Commonwealth Office updates to travel advice for Iran.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“Given the body of information that UIA Flight 752 was shot down by an Iranian Surface to Air Missile, and the heightened tensions, we are now advising British nationals not to travel to Iran. We also recommend against taking a flight to, from and within Iran.

We urgently need a full and transparent investigation to establish what caused the crash.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, including the four British nationals who lost their lives.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 11/01/2020.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab offers congratulations to Dr Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“The presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan today are testament to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy. I offer warm congratulations to the people of Taiwan on the smooth conduct of those elections and to Dr Tsai Ing-wen and her party on her re-election. I hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will renew dialogue to resolve differences and build constructive relations across the Strait.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 11/01/2020.

The British Ambassador to Iran was briefly detained by Iranian authorities on 11 January.

Following the brief detention of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law. The Iranian government is at a cross-roads moment. It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/10/2019.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave a statement in the House of Commons on the death of Harry Dunn and what the Foreign Office is doing to support his family.

“Today, I want to update the House on the tragic case of the death of the 19 year old Harry Dunn in a car accident in Northamptonshire, and what we are doing to support his family in their search for justice.

As the father of 2 young boys myself, I can only begin to imagine the grief and suffering of losing a child. It’s every family’s worst nightmare.

I’m sure the whole House will join with me in expressing my deepest sympathies to Harry’s family for their unbearable loss.

Mr Speaker, let me start with the facts of this case, and the steps that the government has taken in recent weeks to support the police investigation.

On 27 August, Harry Dunn was killed in a road traffic collision while riding his motorbike in Croughton, Northamptonshire. The suspect in the police investigation is an American woman.

As it has been widely reported, at the time of the accident, the American involved had diplomatic immunity. The UK government had been notified of the family’s arrival in the UK in July 2019.

This diplomatic immunity was the result of the arrangements agreed between the UK government and the US government in 1995.

Under those arrangements, US staff at RAF Croughton and their families were accepted as part of the US Embassy in the UK.

Pursuant to these arrangements, the staff and their families were entitled to immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Under the exchange of notes in relation to the Croughton Annex, these arrangements waived immunity for employees, but the waiver did not cover spouses.

Returning to the specific case of Harry Dunn. On 28 August of this year, the US Embassy notified us that the spouse of a member of staff at RAF Croughton had been involved in an accident.

On 30 August, the US asserted that the spouse was covered by immunity, so a waiver was needed.

To enable the police investigation to follow its proper course, on 5 September, the FCO formally requested the US Embassy to waive immunity. Given the seriousness of the incident, our view was -and remains – that justice needs to be done.

If her immunity had been waived, Northamptonshire Police would then have been able to compel her to cooperate fully with their investigation.

However, on 13 September, the FCO was informed by the US Embassy that they would not waive immunity, and that the individual would be leaving the country imminently, unless the UK had strong objections.

We duly and immediately objected in clear and strong terms and have done since. Nevertheless, under the Vienna Convention, UK police could not have lawfully prevented the individual from leaving the UK.

When the FCO followed up with the US Embassy on 16 September, they informed us that the individual had departed the day before.

We immediately informed Northants Police.

When FCO’s views were sought on timing, officials asked the police to delay telling the family by a day or two, so that they could inform me and other Ministers and agree the next course of action.

I am aware that the police did not tell the family until 26 September, which was 11 days after the family had left.

As the primary point of family liaison, the decision as to when to tell the family was properly a matter for the police.

Turning to the issue of waiver, I can reassure the House that representations have been made to the US government at every level of the administration. The Head of the Diplomatic Service summoned the US Deputy Ambassador.

I raised this case twice with the US Ambassador, in order to express my disappointment with their decision not to waive immunity, and to request that the decision be reversed.

I spoke to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the same terms on 7 October, and the Prime Minister raised the case with President Trump on 9 October.

The scope of immunity is a complex area of law, because in some circumstances there may be a residual immunity that can continue once an individual returns home, depending on their status and the particular facts of the case.

Our position, in this case, is that immunity clearly ended when the individual concerned left the UK.

The US government in turn stated on 8 October that since the individual had returned to the US, in their view, immunity was ‘no longer pertinent’.

We took time and we took care to resolve this point, because of its relevance to the case.

We also wanted to be fully confident in the legal position, before we communicated it to the family, given their anguish and frustration with the obstacles to the investigation. Once the position was clear, I conveyed it directly to the family by letter on 12 October.

We continue to urge the US authorities and the individual in question to fully cooperate with the investigation.

The case is now with Northamptonshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and it is for them to consider next steps as part of their criminal investigation.

At every stage in this process, we have sought to clear away any obstacles to justice being done.

At the same time, I have been mindful of the need to avoid anything that could be construed as political interference, in case that might later be argued to prejudice the proper and fair course of the investigation, and thereby prevent justice being done.

Mr Speaker, let me now turn to our next steps.

First, we will continue to do all that we can to support the Police and the CPS during this process. And I can assure this House, as I assured Harry’s family when I met with them on 9 October, that we will continue to fight for justice for them.

Second, I have already commissioned a review of the immunity arrangements for US personnel and their families at the Croughton Annex, holding privileges and immunities under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

As this case has demonstrated, I do not believe the current arrangements are right. The review will look at how we make sure the arrangements at Croughton cannot be used in this way again.

Mr Speaker, in one night, a tragic accident took the life of a young man with his whole future ahead of him.

That loss has devastated his family, as it would any of ours.

I can reassure the House that this government will do everything it can to give them the solace of justice being done. Our hearts go out to them, and I commend this statement to the House.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 22/10/2019.

The British High Commission and the British Council in Cyprus hosted the first ever island-wide reception for graduates of UK universities.

Your Excellency President of the House of Representatives and acting President of the Republic, Mr Dimitris Syllouris, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

I apologise for disrupting the DJ. I hope you’ve been enjoying his music, as well as the fish and chips, and the gin, and perhaps feeling a little nostalgic for those student days and perhaps some misspent nights in the UK.

On behalf of myself and my wife Denise I extend a very warm welcome to this very special gathering of very special people. That’s you: the Cypriot alumni of British universities, from around the island.

In some ways it’s surprising we’ve not had a reception like this before. With over 40,000 Cypriot alumni of UK universities it’s not easy to organise an island-wide gathering of you all: the garden simply isn’t big enough, especially on a wet evening. But I’m delighted to start with this select group this evening: you are obviously the most active and ambitious alumni!

Having studied in the UK you don’t need me to tell you about the benefits of a UK education. Perhaps like me you saw the recent report which reveals that Cyprus is the 10th most important source country for international students in the UK. My guess is that means Cyprus sends more students to the UK per head of population than any other.

Not that education collaboration is a one-way street. UK institutions are increasingly looking to deliver British education here in Cyprus – through Cyprus-based campuses and departments, joint degree courses and distance learning. And I would like to pay tribute to President Syllouris for the strong personal support which he has offered for these transnational education initiatives, which are helping position Cyprus as a higher education hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Meanwhile research collaboration between Britain and Cyprus goes from strength to strength. We’re showcasing many of these research collaborations and educational partnerships this evening, and welcoming representatives of three of the biggest research collaborations in Cyprus, which are all with UK universities: KIOS, RISE and Maritec-X with Imperial, UCL and Southampton respectively. You’d be surprised if as High Commissioner I didn’t mention Brexit. As you know events appear to be reaching a climax, with some increasingly positive indications about the prospects for reaching a deal at the European Council in Brussels.

Whatever your views on Brexit, I want to assure you that the UK Government is fully committed to an even stronger and deeper relationship between Britain and Cyprus, based on shared values, shared membership of the Commonwealth, and the wealth of personal connections of which you are part. While we have chosen to leave the EU, we are not leaving Europe. We were close partners before Britain or Cyprus joined the EU, and with your help and support, I am confident that we will be even closer partners in future.

Let me close with a few words of thanks:

To our sponsors for this evening: PWC Cyprus and Laiko Cosmos Trading

To the representatives of over 30 UK universities who have joined us here: they are in Cyprus for the British Council’s annual Study UK Fair.

To the UK university alumni groups on the island. They have well-established networks of alumni, and are enthusiastic proponents of staying in touch with their institutions and keeping alive the connections they made there. We have joined forces in organising tonight’s reception, and I thank them for introducing many new faces to the High Commission.

And above all, to you Your Excellency, Mr President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for joining us tonight. I encourage you to stay in touch with us, directly, through your university alumni groups or through our UKalumniCY page on Facebook.

Thank you very much.