Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Statement by Simon Thomas, UK Ambassador to the General Assembly, at the UN’s Special Political and Decolonisation Fourth Committee.

Let me start by reiterating that the United Kingdom has a modern relationship with all its Overseas Territories based on partnership; on shared values; and on the right of the people of each Territory to choose to remain British or not.

The UK Overseas Territories are self-governing, subject only to the UK retaining powers to carry out its obligations under international law.

We have a close bilateral relationship with each Territory, and the UK and Overseas Territory Governments hold a Joint Ministerial Council each year to monitor and drive forward collective priorities for action in the spirit of partnership.

We are committed to supporting the Territories on their priorities, including environmental protection, and carrying out our constitutional responsibilities, including guaranteeing security. 

Across the Territories, we provide financial and practical support to build local capacity and resilience, and have projects underway to build new infrastructure, including a new hospital, ports and much more.

I will address specific points relating to two of the UK’s Overseas Territories.

Firstly, Gibraltar. 

Last week, the Committee heard directly from the Chief Minister of Gibraltar as the elected representative of its people. 

We welcome their participation and restate that the UK’s longstanding commitment to the people of Gibraltar remains unchanged.

The UK will not enter arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.

The United Kingdom also reaffirms that it will not enter a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

In December 2020, the UK, with Gibraltar, agreed a Political Framework with Spain for how a future agreement between the UK and the EU in respect of Gibraltar would function in the interests of all parties. 

UK-EU negotiations began in October 2021. The UK, working side-by-side with the Government of Gibraltar, reached a political agreement with the EU on the core aspects of a Treaty in June 2025. 

All parties are committed to finalising the text of the UK-EU Treaty in respect to Gibraltar as soon as possible.

The second specific issue I wish to address is the Falkland Islands.

The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over both the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and their surrounding maritime areas.

Nor do we have any doubt about the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. 

This is enshrined in the UN Charter and in Article One of both UN covenants on human rights, by virtue of which they are free to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

In the 2013 referendum, which was conducted in line with international standards and was observed by independent, international observers, 99.8 per cent of those who voted wanted to remain their current status as a British Overseas Territory.

This result sent a clear message of self-determination, and that the people of the Islands do not want dialogue on sovereignty. 

These wishes, expressed freely, should be respected.

The people of the Falkland Islands are an established and diverse community, with families being able to trace their South Atlantic ancestry back ten generations, and with over 60 different nationalities represented across the population. 

The Falkland Islanders are proud of their autonomy and the prosperous modern democracy they have built, in which they have been able to offer universal health care and education and have shown how small island states can be prosperous with green sustainable growth.

The UK continues to look towards a stronger, more productive relationship with Argentina on matters of mutual interest, including practical cooperation in the South Atlantic.

Chair, in conclusion, the United Kingdom remains committed to respecting and defending the right of the people of each Territory to determine their own future, in line with the UN Charter.

And let me also reassure you that the United Kingdom will continue to carry out our responsibilities as part of our modern partnership with each of the territories.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Ambassador Holland welcomes the work of the OSCE Mission over the last six months, and the positive assessment of municipal elections on 12 October – while underlining concerns over security and political developments.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Firstly, I would like to welcome Ambassador McGurk – dear Gerard – back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for the comprehensive written report on the recent work of the Mission, and for your informative presentation this morning.

The United Kingdom welcomes last weekend’s municipal elections in Kosovo, and the positive assessment by international observers. The return of Kosovo-Serb mayors to the northern municipalities is a vital first-step in ensuring representative local governance. We encourage all parties to ensure that the transitions of the newly elected mayors are made with full respect to Kosovo’s rule of law and ensure a calm and safe environment for all communities.

The UK particularly welcomes the convening of the new Kosovo Assembly and sees this as an important step towards the formation of a new government.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom shares the concerns highlighted in the Mission report around security and political developments which have impacted on intercommunity relations in Kosovo, including the closures of institutions and facilities which provide vital services to Kosovo-Serbs and other non-majority communities. We echo the comments in the Report that sustainable peace and legitimacy flow from institutions that deliver fairly and equitably for all people of Kosovo. The UK will continue to encourage the Government of Kosovo to uphold Kosovo’s constitutional obligations as a multi-ethnic society, to engage with the international community and consult constructively with the Kosovo-Serb community ahead of any actions that impact their community.

We urge both Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to deliver on their respective obligations, including the establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities. Failure by either side to meet existing commitments has negative implications for the daily lives of ordinary citizens and for wider stability in the Western Balkans.

The UK also underlines the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for the 2023 attacks on KFOR troops and in Banjska, and calls on Serbia to fully cooperate in bringing those responsible to account, and to fulfil its pledge to cooperate in the investigation of the attack on the Ibar-Lepenc Canal. 

The UK particularly appreciates the unique role of the Mission in monitoring and early warning functions, through its extensive network of regional centres. We continue to value the Mission’s support on human rights and inter-community relations, including on interfaith dialogue and assistance to non-majority communities on language rights and the preservation of cultural heritage. We also appreciate the Mission’s ongoing support to the UK and Swiss funded diploma verification process.

We welcome the continued focus on gender equality, including work of the Dialogue Academy and support to implementation of the 2024 Action Plan. We share the Mission’s concerns around the lack of women’s participation in elections, and welcome the work of the EmPOWER programme to increase numbers of women candidates.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom is a longstanding and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent, sovereign and multiethnic state. The UK will continue to support stability, security and economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, including through our hosting of the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit in London on 22 October and the work of our Special Envoy, Dame Karen Pierce.

Finally, I wanted to again thank you, Gerard, for your leadership of the Mission at this critical time. We sincerely appreciate the hard work of your team under challenging circumstances, and will continue to make the case in this Council for field operations to receive the funding necessary to effectively deliver the mandates tasked to them by participating States.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, highlighting the severe impact on the civilian population. The UK calls on Russia to respect international law.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Russia has once again weaponised winter, launching a series of coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure in recent weeks. These strikes have severely disrupted gas production and hit critical storage facilities in western Ukraine.  Strikes on thermal power stations on 10th October left half of Kyiv without power and many without access to water.

The UK strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, particularly its domestic gas production capacity. Restoring this capacity is both challenging and expensive, often taking many months to repair and increasing the need for gas imports over winter.  As the country enters winter and heating demand rises, such attacks have an even greater impact.

These attacks are morally indefensible, and the UK is not alone in having this assessment. The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine reported that Russia’s systematic targeting of energy infrastructure may amount to war crimes and, in some cases, crimes against humanity. The Commission concluded that such strikes, particularly during winter, show a “disregard for civilian harm and suffering” and violate international humanitarian law. Similarly, reporting by ODIHR has stated that Russia’s large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities reflect a general disregard for the laws of war and may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Russia argues that these sites are legitimate military targets, justifying their actions by stating they are weakening facilities that assist Ukraine’s military industrial complex. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine found that Russia’s attacks on these sites likely violated the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to protect civilians and civilian objects.

So far this year Russia has launched around 40,000 drones—a fourfold increase from 2024. In September alone, at least 214 civilians were killed and nearly 1,000 injured, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. And just this month, Russia carried out its largest coordinated assault of the war on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, deploying 35 missiles and 60 drones in a single offensive, which resulted in the tragic death of a child. Each round of peace talks has coincided with further escalations in Russian attacks.

Mr Chair, the UK stands resolutely with Ukraine.  We urge continued support for Ukraine’s air defences and energy resilience.  And we call on Russia to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and the OSCE Decalogue. Russia must not deliberately target civilian infrastructure that provides essential needs for Ukraine’s population; and must withdraw from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Russia’s systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter appears to follow a clear pattern aimed at undermining Ukraine’s resilience.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Once again and for the fourth year in a row, Russia is weaponising Winter against Ukraine. Russia’s systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter appears to follow a clear pattern aimed at undermining civil resilience.

Each month Russia sets new, and unwanted, records. In October, Russia launched its largest coordinated strike of the war on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, firing 35 missiles and 60 drones at Naftogaz gas facilities in Kharkiv and Poltava, causing critical damage and disrupting operations. Russian forces also damaged a major energy facility in Zaporizhzhia, cutting power to thousands, and targeted gas transportation infrastructure in Lviv, killing four civilians.

Madam Chair, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that “continued attacks on energy infrastructure will severely impact civilian access to essential services this winter.”

Other independent assessments, including the REACH Cold Spots Risk Assessment, confirm that repeated strikes on energy facilities create “critical vulnerabilities” for households, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine, where repair capacity is limited.

The OSCE’s Code of Conduct reiterates the need for us all to ensure that our Armed Forces comply with international law. And yet, the OSCE Moscow Mechanisms, ODIHR and UN, continue to report on mounting independent evidence of Russia violating international law, including international humanitarian law.

Destroying energy infrastructure ahead of winter, affects the most vulnerable civilians in society, and risks individuals freezing to death in their own homes and being denied access to essential services. The facts are stark and simple. Under international law, deliberately targeting civilians is illegal. Under international law, Russia’s invasion is illegal. Under international law, Ukraine has a right to defend itself. And the UK will stand with Ukraine as it defends itself– today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.

We once again call on Russia to cease these attacks immediately, end its illegal war and to return to full compliance with international law.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

At the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, the UK outlines that our approach to resilience is rooted in our whole-of-society model, as outlined in the UK Resilience Action Plan published in July 2025.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The UK welcomes Finland’s initiative to convene this timely Security Dialogue on resilience through comprehensive security. We fully support the emphasis on civil-military cooperation as a strategic pillar of national defence.

The UK’s approach to resilience is rooted in our whole-of-society model, as outlined in the UK Resilience Action Plan, published in July. We see resilience not merely as a response mechanism, but as a proactive, integrated system that spans government, business, civil society, and individuals. Our strategy prioritises prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery — ensuring that vital societal functions endure even under stress.

This model is reflected in our Strategic Defence Review 2025, which underscores the importance of civilian-military integration in safeguarding national security. Chapter 6 of the Review outlines how the UK Armed Forces work alongside local authorities, emergency services, and community organisations to build resilience at every level — from cyber defence and infrastructure protection to public health and crisis communications. Associated actions are being delivered through the UK’s new Home Defence Programme.

In today’s threat landscape — shaped by hybrid tactics, disinformation, and coercive diplomacy — resilience is a strategic imperative. The UK commends the OSCE’s multidimensional approach and the Code of Conduct’s emphasis on democratic control of armed forces. We see civil-military cooperation not only as a defence asset, but as a democratic strength.

We also draw inspiration from Ukraine’s extraordinary resilience in the face of aggression. Their ability to sustain societal functions under extreme pressure exemplifies the power of unity and preparedness.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2025.

Honduras officially launched a new national strategy to tackle organized crime, developed with technical assistance from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and partial funding from the United Kingdom.

The strategy was created using UNODC’s “Organised Crime Strategy Toolkit,” supported by the UK Home Office’s Integrated Security Fund. This toolkit helps countries build comprehensive frameworks to prevent and combat organized crime, emphasizing principles of prevention, protection, prosecution, and institutional strengthening. 

Collaboration began after a regional meeting in Bangkok in February 2022, where Honduras requested UNODC’s support. Since then, the country has worked closely with UNODC to develop a strategy that integrates gender, human rights, and a holistic approach to crime prevention. 

This initiative reflects Honduras’s commitment to coordinated, sustainable action against organized crime and aligns with the UK’s support for the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 October 2025.

Russia’s largest oil companies and global businesses propping up Putin’s illegal war have been hit by fresh sanctions as the UK moves to increase pressure on Kremlin revenues.

• UK unleashes strongest sanctions yet on Russia, choking off energy revenues that flow into its war chest by directly targeting oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.  
• Government is taking Russian oil ‘off the market’ as 90 sanctions announced.  
• Foreign Office and Treasury take action in tandem, with Yvette Cooper introducing sanctions in parliament and Rachel Reeves leading discussions with international partners in Washington DC.

The 90 new sanctions strike at the heart of Putin’s war funding, directly targeting Rosneft and Lukoil – two of the world’s biggest energy companies, which together export 3.1 million barrels of oil per day. Rosneft alone is responsible for 6% of global and nearly half of all Russian oil production.  

Today’s action demonstrates the government’s determination to cut off Putin’s revenue streams – targeting Russian companies and their global enablers. Four oil terminals in China, 44 tankers in the ‘shadow fleet’ transporting Russian oil, and Nayara Energy Limited – which imported 100 million barrels of Russian crude worth over $5 billion in 2024 alone – have all been hit by this latest wave of sanctions.

The new sanctions, all announced by the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in Parliament today, come as Chancellor Rachel Reeves arrives in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, where she will meet G7 Finance Ministers and attend a Ukraine roundtable to rally global partners to cut off revenues reaching the Russian regime.

Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper said:  

At this critical moment for Ukraine, Europe is stepping up. Together, the UK and our allies are piling the pressure on Putin – going after his oil, gas and shadow fleet – and we will not relent until he abandons his failed war of conquest and gets serious about peace.  

Even with his war economy creaking, his people suffering, and his army enduring unthinkable losses – still he sends drones and missiles after innocent civilians.  

Ukraine’s security is important for the security and stability of the whole of Europe and for the UK. Today’s action is another step towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and towards a more secure United Kingdom. The action we are taking against Russian aggression with partners across Europe makes us stronger here at home.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said:  

We are sending a clear signal: Russian oil is off the market.  

As Putin’s aggression intensifies, we are stepping up our response. The UK will continue to strip away the funding that fuels his war machine. We will hold to account all those enabling his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The action also coincides with Putin kicking off Russian Energy Week in Moscow, undermining his efforts to pitch his most valuable funding stream to those across the globe. 

As Putin’s vital oil revenues shrink year-on-year under the weight of international sanctions, the Kremlin is scrambling to expand its liquified natural gas (LNG) industry to plug these losses. The UK is today also sanctioning seven specialised LNG tankers and the Chinese Beihai LNG terminal. Beihai has been importing LNG from Arctic LNG2 – the severely disrupted flagship Russian LNG project, sanctioned by the UK in February 2024.

To further restrict the flow of funds to the Kremlin, the UK has today announced that we will ban imports of oil products refined in third countries from Russian-origin crude oil. 

By removing Russian oil from the market, taking steps towards peace and in turn building a more secure Europe, we are directly strengthening the UK’s national and energy security – key foundations of this government’s Plan for Change.  

More than 85,000 military drones have been delivered by the UK to Ukraine in just six months this year by accelerating production from British companies and supporting jobs in both countries, with £600 million invested by the UK this year. 

Today’s sanctions extend beyond oil, tightening the net around Russia’s key military supply chains by hitting businesses that supply electronics critical for Russian drones and missiles terrorising Ukrainian civilians, across countries including Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, and China.  

Background  

• Today’s measures come as new data released today reveals that UK sanctions have frozen £28.7 billion of Russian assets since February 2022. The figure, announced in the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s (OFSI) Annual Review 2024-25, highlight the UK’s leading role in choking off the funding streams bankrolling Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine – more detail can be found here.
• A full list of today’s targets can be found here.
• The UK has sanctioned the two largest Russian oil majors, Rosneft and Lukoil. We previously sanctioned the third and fourth largest, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas in January 2025.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 October 2025.

UK Statement at the World Trade Organization’s General Council. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and the UN, Kumar Iyer.

Agenda item 4.1. WTO Reform – Report by the Facilitator

The UK supports the work of Ambassador Ølberg; we welcome the report and we support his engagement with the G20 process. We welcome also the focus on MC14 as a reform Ministerial Conference and the UK stands ready to support the process as needed and we will update the membership later on in our information item on the Wilton Park conference last week.

The UK continues to believe like, the majority of Members, that now is very much the time for reform, and the credibility of this organisation rests on it. We all have different priorities but that underlines again the value of the facilitator’s process and the need to engage with it constructively. The UK is keen to move to focussed, detailed discussions on areas identified by the facilitator. The sooner we can get to open, frank, and hopefully constructive discussions, the better. The sooner we can engage with specifics, the more we can minimise the asks of our ministers at MC14, and we recognise the need to be pragmatic in scope to achieve that.

The priorities for the UK remain decision-making, Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) and market-distorting practises, but we recognise the wider interests of the membership and the need for the facilitator to accommodate those. Thank you.

Item 9

Thank you Chair. We’d like to be brief: the UK would like to note that we really welcome this innovation. Simplifying global trade for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a really value-added role that the WTO can provide.

The UK Trade Commissioner was able to be present directly. Our focus in our interventions was around SMEs’ access to finance and the green transition. We would also like to know that we support the road map produced and support its implementation. Thank you.

Item 10

Thank you, Chair. The United Kingdom welcomes the initiative and the establishment of the website as a record for members to refer to. We reaffirm that the UK encourages further work on this important topic. The UK stands ready to engage constructively with all Members as these conversations develop. Thank you.

Item 11

Thank you, Chair.

From the 1st to the 3rd of October, the United Kingdom hosted delegates from across the WTO membership at a conference at our Wilton Park venue to discuss the future of the multilateral trading system and WTO reform within this context. Whilst English country houses are both large and charming, sadly they cannot accommodate the whole membership. In the interest of transparency, we wanted to provide this report and are happy to discuss further any detail with any interested members.

We were joined at the conference by the Director-General and the WTO Reform Facilitator, and we invited representatives from the full cross section of the membership or group coordinators and a strong regional mix. We would like to thank all delegates for their attendance and, in particular, for the quality, openness and depth of conversations that we had. There were no clocks. There were no cameras and, after a while, there were no statements either. The conference itself was held under confidentiality terms, but I will try and draw out a few points to report back on general comments and observations.

The first was, unsurprisingly, there was a very wide divergence of views. There was a divergence in the problems that people saw, and there was a divergence in the value people saw in the WTO. However, in response to your question from yesterday and your challenge, DG: everyone saw some form of value in the WTO, it just wasn’t necessarily the same thing.

The second is an observation around stability. There was a general agreement that there was value in some stability for businesses to operate and for that we would need some agreed rules, but again, disagreement that the current rules necessarily were the right ones under which to operate.

The third observation being there were the beginnings of proposals and ideas that were raised. There were no particular agreements, that was not the objective of this. But hopefully in the frank and open discussions that Members had, they were able to evolve their thinking so that we could listen to each other and hopefully develop better ideas in that process. I’m sure in the coming weeks and months, those Members will want to bring those ideas to this Chamber.

Chair, I think there is probably a real value add of those discussions and one for us to remember in this Chamber: that depth of understanding is a prerequisite for any progress. In Geneva we talk all the time to each other. Sometimes we don’t always listen, but we do talk. One of the advantages at Wilton Park was over that period of time we were forced to listen to one another and whilst we may talk here, colleagues from capitals do not always get the chance, and the invitees from capitals saw value in that. I will pause there and on our report. Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 October 2025.

Alongside the US Government, the UK has today sanctioned a network that operates illegal scam centres across Southeast Asia.

A network that operates illegal scam centres, which trick victims across the world out of substantial sums of money and torture their trafficked workers, is today (14 October) sanctioned by the UK and US governments. 

Across Southeast Asia, scam centres are using sophisticated schemes, including scams in which people are lured into fake romantic relationships, to defraud victims on an industrial scale, including in the UK. Those conducting the scams are often trafficked foreign nationals, trapped and forced to carry out online fraud under threat of torture. 

As part of the crackdown, a £12 million mansion in North London, owned by a multi-national network responsible for using forced labour to conduct online scams, has been frozen. 

The leader of the network, Chen Zhi, and his web of enablers have incorporated their businesses in the British Virgin Islands and invested in the London property market, including a £12 million mansion on Avenue Road in North London, a £100 million office building on Fenchurch Street in the City of London, and seventeen flats on New Oxford Street and in Nine Elms in South London. 

The sanctions will freeze these businesses and properties with immediate effect, locking Chen and his network out of the UK’s financial system. 

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 

The masterminds behind these horrific scam centres are ruining the lives of vulnerable people and buying up London homes to store their money. 

Together with our US allies, we are taking decisive action to combat the growing transnational threat posed by this network – upholding human rights, protecting British nationals and keeping dirty money off our streets.

The individuals and entities targeted today include: 

• The Prince Group and its Chairman Chen Zhi – The Prince Group is a high-profile, multi-billion-pound conglomerate with extensive business activities across Cambodia and beyond. Chen and the Prince Group have constructed casinos and compounds used as scam centres, maintain links to their operations through corporate proxies, and are implicated in laundering the proceeds
• Jin Bei Group – A leisure and entertainment business linked to the Prince Group, whose properties include a flagship seven-storey hotel and casino in the Cambodian tourist hub of Sihanoukville, as well as multiple scam centres
• Golden Fortune Resorts World Ltd. – The company behind a large scam compound on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, built by a Prince Group subsidiary and disguised as a “technology park”
• Byex Exchange – A cryptocurrency platform with links to Jin Bei and Prince Group

Scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar and across the region use fake job adverts to attract foreign nationals to disused casinos or purpose-built compounds, where they are forced to carry out online fraud under threat of torture. Scams often involve building online relationships to convince targets to ‘invest’ increasingly large sums of money into fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes. The proceeds are then laundered using a sophisticated financial ecosystem that includes seemingly legitimate front businesses and online gambling platforms. 

Today’s sanctions are being coordinated with sanctions by the US to ensure maximum impact, and follow extensive investigations by the FCDO and the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). 

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable by stealing life savings, ruining trust, and devastating lives. We will not tolerate this.

These sanctions prove our determination to stop those who profit from this activity, hold offenders accountable, and keep dirty money out of the UK. Through our new, expanded Fraud Strategy and the upcoming Global Fraud Summit, we will go even further to disrupt corrupt networks and protect the public from shameless criminals.