Tag: 2024

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 September 2024.

Ambassador Holland thanks Minister Valtonen from Finland for presenting priorities as incoming 2025 OSCE Chair-in-Office, and gives full UK support.

Thank you, Chair. Minister Valtonen, on behalf of the UK, a warm welcome to the Permanent Council. Thank you for outlining the priorities for Finland’s time as OSCE Chair-in-Office. Please be assured of the UK’s full support for the very focused agenda you have set out.

I’d like to pick up specifically on the three guiding principles you have outlined today. The first is to welcome your commitment to keeping support for Ukraine at the heart of the OSCE’s work. Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally shifted the landscape of European security and global stability. And it is becoming more complex, as Russia increases the intensity of its malign and reckless activities across many of the States in our region.

Each participating State of the OSCE has an equal right to security, and each day, Ukrainians are risking their lives to stand up for this right – not just for their own country, but for every one of us. Your commitment to focusing the OSCE’s work on Ukraine, as well as the security of all our citizens and our resilience to evolving threats, is therefore very welcome.

Secondly, as you have reminded us, next year will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act: an important and symbolic milestone. That landmark agreement forms the bedrock of the OSCE, upon which we have built a unique institution through subsequent commitments and agreed principles. These commitments and principles have never been more important than they are today. They provide this institution with the tools it needs to pursue peace and security for our region. The OSCE continues to demonstrate its value every day. And those decades of experience supporting States to manage and resolve conflicts through the toolbox, Missions and instruments are of value to our entire region, and importantly, are already helping Ukraine with its current rebuilding and recovery efforts. We therefore welcome your ambition to make full use of the OSCE’s toolkit.

Lastly, in order to carry out its role effectively, we need an Organisation that is well-equipped. In the immediate term, this means we must get behind the Chair and agree new senior leadership appointments urgently. And more broadly, we welcome your commitment to prioritise inclusivity and strengthen the OSCE’s working methods and functionality, including through innovation. This simply cannot be done effectively without adequate funding. And we share your position that it is essential for the OSCE to have an agreed Unified Budget. We urge those obstructing agreement – to the Unified Budget itself as well as other important Draft Decisions on the organisation’s finances – to look beyond a narrow national focus, support the Chair-in-Office in good faith, and ensure all parts of the OSCE have the funding they need to effectively fulfil their mandates.

Your Excellency, we thank you for your open and consultative approach as you prepare for the task ahead of you. It will be challenging. You can rely on the strong support of the UK. We look forward to working with you and your dedicated team in Vienna, and wish you the best for your Chairpersonship.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 September 2024.

European Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, together with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo, met in Brussels on Thursday 19 September.

This was the third meeting at political level and the first one in this format under the new UK government.

Building on significant progress of 12 April and 16 May, today’s discussions were constructive and productive, resulting in further progress on the complex issues of negotiations, namely in the area of people and goods.

The meeting reaffirmed their shared commitment to concluding an EU-UK Agreement to bring confidence, legal certainty, and stability to the people of the whole region, while safeguarding all parties’ legal positions.

They all agreed to remain in constant contact, with teams to work closely and intensely on outstanding areas.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 September 2024.

Ambassador Holland condemns the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia, which will be used to wreak further misery on Ukrainian civilians as part of its illegal war.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Last week the Russian Federation called one of its more hypocritical UN Security Council meetings, this time on ‘western weapons transfers to Ukraine’.  This was the cynical use of the Council to criticise support for a sovereign state to exercise its legitimate and legal right to defend itself against Russia’s illegal war of aggression.

But in making these accusations, Russia succeeded only in highlighting its own double standards and disinformation – the hallmarks of its malign actions on our continent and beyond.  Because just days before the meeting, we learned that Russia had taken delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles.  This transfer poses a direct threat to European security just like those Russia received from DPRK, which took place in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

There is a critical difference between the two situations, which Russia neglects to acknowledge. In one, weapons are being supplied to a sovereign State, Ukraine, to give it the means to defend itself in accordance with international law.  In another, weapons are being sent to a state, Russia, which is aggressively waging war against its neighbour which violates the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.  And what is more, these weapons are being used to wreak misery on Ukrainian civilians.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported nearly 12,000 deaths and close to 25,000 injuries among civilians since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion began.  The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has reported a spike in civilian deaths and injuries over the last two months, making them the deadliest months so far of 2024.

Madam chair, we condemn in the strongest terms the shelling of a frontline aid distribution site on 12 September that resulted in the deaths of three members of staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross.  It is essential that International Humanitarian Law is respected and that aid workers can do their jobs, providing help to the most vulnerable.

The UK also condemns the Russian strike on a civilian cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea on 11 September.  Such attacks pose a genuine threat to global food security.

Madam Chair, as my Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary made clear last week, the UK’s ironclad support for Ukraine’s right to self-defence will not waver in the face of Russian threats and hypocrisy.  Russia started this war by illegally invading Ukraine.  It could end it immediately by withdrawing.  Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 September 2024.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

The UK requested this Council meeting following alarming reports of escalation around El Fasher. I would like to make three points.

First, we strongly condemn the Rapid Support Forces’ assault on El Fasher. We call on the RSF to halt its siege of the area and for an immediate end to the fighting. Aerial bombardments, shelling and other combat activity by the warring parties have resulted in yet further displacement and destruction of critical infrastructure.

We also call on states to refrain from enhancing either side’s fighting capability. All Member States have a responsibility to uphold the arms embargo which this Council renewed just last week.

Second, it is imperative that the warring parties uphold their obligations under international law and that there is accountability for violations. The escalation around El Fasher clearly contravenes resolution 2736 agreed by this Council in June.

We must continue to send a clear message to the warring parties that we are watching closely. We also note the work underway by the Secretary-General to produce recommendations for the protection of civilians. Events in El Fasher emphasise the importance of this work.

Third, President, we underscore our concern at the humanitarian impact of the violence across Sudan and its destabilising effect on the region. Over 10 million people have already been displaced. A new wave of violence, as we’ve heard, will exacerbate this even further.

The recent re-opening of the Adre border crossing is an important step, but humanitarian access still desperately needs to be scaled up – both cross-border and across conflict lines.

We must also ensure that access is not slowed down by bureaucratic impediments. President, we once again call on both warring parties to return to negotiations in good faith and to stop this senseless violence now.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 September 2024.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, on the UN General Assembly resolution on the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – Wednesday 18 September 2024.

The United Kingdom has abstained on today’s resolution.

The United Kingdom has done so not because we do not support the central findings of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion but rather because the resolution does not provide sufficient clarity to effectively advance our shared aim of a peace premised on a negotiated two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a safe and secure Palestinian state.

As a state committed to the international rule of law, we respect the Court and call for states to unite around renewed efforts towards a negotiated settlement, in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. We stand ready to work with other Member States on future resolutions before the General Assembly and in the Security Council, seeking to fashion a broad consensus on the way forward, with re-energised determination to accelerate the path to peace.

While our abstention reflects our unwavering determination to focus on efforts to bring about a peaceful and negotiated two-state solution, the United Kingdom aims, by this statement, to indicate our clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as rapidly as possible. And every effort must be made to create the conditions for negotiations which provide for a sovereign, viable and free Palestine, alongside a safe, secure and free Israel, recognising the security concerns and right to self-defence of each one. We must also work towards the reunification of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza in line with 1967 borders and under the effective control of the Palestinian Authority, as a fundamental step towards a two-state solution.

Turning now to address settlements in particular, the United Kingdom is gravely concerned by Israel’s continued actions which undermine prospects for peace. Expansion of settlements, in clear violation of international law, must cease immediately. There have been unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers over the past year.

We have witnessed with grave concern how an increasing number of residents of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts have systematically used harassment, intimidation and violence to put pressure on Palestinian communities to leave their land. We call on Israel to hold those responsible to account.

Alongside our partners, the UK has imposed sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for these acts. We continue to track closely these acts of violence and where appropriate the UK will seek to extend sanctions. We are clear. Any efforts to change the geographic or demographic make-up of the Occupied Palestinian Territories through force and outside a negotiated settlement are illegal.

President, the situation in Gaza continues to subject Palestinian civilians to horrendous suffering, and over 100 hostages remain held by Hamas in abhorrent conditions. We need to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages.

We will continue to work urgently to help bring peace and galvanise a political process towards a two-state solution which provides long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. I thank you.