Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 September 2023.

Latest sanctions package holds those who would undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty to account.

• UK sanctions Russian officials involved in recent sham elections in the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, and in illegally annexed Crimea
• Sanctions also target officials involved in last year’s sham referendums staged to legitimise the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory
• 1,600 individuals and entities have now been sanctioned by the UK in response to Russia’s invasion

More Russian officials involved in the illegal invasion of Ukraine are hit with new sanctions, including movement and financial restrictions, announced by the Foreign Secretary today (29th September). Eleven new designations will be imposed by the UK in response to Russia’s attempts to use sham elections to legitimise its illegal control of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, which are all part of Ukrainian sovereign territory.

Among those designated are an organisation and senior Russian officials, who have all directly acted to undermine Ukraine and threaten its territorial integrity.

They include:

• The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia, the government agency that has arranged this month’s sham elections and last year’s referendums in illegally temporarily controlled parts of Ukraine.
• Natalya Budarina, CEC Secretary, one of the most senior officials in the Central Election Commission.
• Andrei Aleksyenko, Head of the so-called Kherson regional administration.
• Marina Zakharova, Head of the so-called election commission in Kherson.

Today’s announcement comes one year on from Russia’s illegal attempt to annex the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk after falsified and illegitimate sham referendums. Conducted on sovereign Ukrainian territory, through intimidation at gunpoint, these referendums were overwhelmingly rejected by the UN General Assembly in October 2022.

The Ukrainian population living in these temporarily controlled territories has endured large-scale atrocities at the hands of Russian forces, including torture, sexual violence, and mass forced deportation. To date, the Ukrainian authorities report that at least 19,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported from their homes.

Russia has sought to destroy Ukrainian culture and identity in a bid to strengthen its illegitimate claim to Ukrainian territory, including by forcible issue of Russian passports, and imposition of Russian law, media, education, and currency.

In the latest futile attempt to normalise Russia’s illegitimate control of sovereign Ukrainian territory, Russia arranged illegal sham “elections” earlier this month. These elections are another violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and of the UN Charter. Earlier this month the UK confirmed, to the UN Security Council, evidence that the results were pre-determined.

Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

Russia’s sham elections are a transparent, futile attempt to legitimise its illegal control of sovereign Ukrainian territory. You can’t hold ‘elections’ in someone else’s country.

The UK will never recognise Russia’s claims to Ukrainian territory – Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson are Ukraine.

Last year, the UK took immediate action in response to the illegal sham referendums in Ukraine, sanctioning top Russian officials who enforced the illegal votes in the temporarily controlled territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk.

This latest package of designations comes ahead of a new commemoration day in Russia, declared by Putin to celebrate the anniversary of his purported annexations, despite Russia having no legitimate basis for any claim to Ukrainian territory.

The people of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts voted overwhelmingly for Ukraine’s independence in 1991, and their continued resistance against Russian aggression shows their determination to remain part of an independent and sovereign Ukraine.

These latest sanctions serve as a stark reminder of the cost of such a flagrant assault on sovereignty, democracy and equality.

Together with our international partners, we have unleashed the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy.

The UK alone has sanctioned over 1,800 individuals and entities under its Russia sanctions regime, over 1,600 of which were sanctioned since Putin’s full-scale invasion. This includes 29 banks, accounting for over 90% of the Russian banking sector, and 129 oligarchs who had a combined net worth around £145 billion at the time of the invasion. Over £20 billion of UK-Russia bilateral trade (2021 figures) is now under full or partial sanction and there has been a 98.2% fall in Russian imports into the UK, and a 77.4% fall in UK exports to Russia.

Sanctions have sent Russia into recession, eroded Russia’s financial base and massively degraded the building blocks for Russia’s long-term growth.

Russia’s budget is heavily in deficit. Rather than the surplus the Russian government predicted for 2022, Russia suffered an annual deficit of $47bn—the second highest of the post-Soviet era. Many of the trends contributing to the deficit in 2022 will continue in 2023, especially downward pressure on oil and gas exports.

Now, over 60% of Putin’s ‘war chest’ foreign reserves – worth £275bn – have been immobilised.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Thomas Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on international peace and security.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

The FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson gave a joint UK-EU statement on 28 September 2023.

Joint statement by the Alternate Co-chairs of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee following their meeting on 28 September 2023:

The United Kingdom and the European Union today held a meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, co-chaired at alternate level by the FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson.

The Joint Committee took stock of discussions under the Withdrawal Agreement framework since the last meeting on 3 July 2023. The alternate co-chairs welcomed the progress made and reiterated their mutual commitment to continued work to ensure the full implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework in a faithful way.

In the context of the implementation of Joint Committee Decision No 1/2023, the European Union made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(a) and the United Kingdom made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(b). The Joint Committee also adopted Decision No 4/2023.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown says Azerbaijan’s decision to commence a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh put at risk efforts to find a lasting peace settlement.

Thank you Chair.

Azerbaijan’s decision last week to commence a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh put at risk efforts to find a lasting peace settlement. Like many others, the UK urged Azerbaijan to cease its use of force, refrain from further escalatory action, and return to dialogue. While the UK fully recognises Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, military might cannot be used to resolve tensions between communities.

We call on all parties to continue to respect the 20 September ceasefire, welcome the direct talks between Azerbaijan and representatives of the ethnic Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh which took place on 21 and 25 September, and call on Azerbaijan to protect the rights and security of that community.

We are concerned about the humanitarian situation, due to the limited access international aid organisations have into Nagorno-Karabakh, and the significant refugee flows from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. We are liaising with the UN, ICRC and others to assess humanitarian need in the region and what further UK assistance is required.

The UK has raised its concerns at the UN Security Council, here at the Special Permanent Council last week, and directly with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. We will continue to monitor the situation, in close cooperation with our international partners.

It is only through diplomacy in line with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act that we will see a sustainable settlement to this conflict. We urge both Armenia and Azerbaijan to restore substantive negotiations on a settlement to the wider remaining tensions in the region as soon as possible.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown says that Russia’s brutal and illegitimate attempts to annex Ukrainian territory will not go unanswered.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Statement under Item 4 General Debate. Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, on 26 September 2023 at the UN’s 54th Human Rights Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2023.

Today, the new British Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris CMG OBE presented his Letters of Credence to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and reiterated the UK’s unflinching support.

Speaking at a ceremony in historic St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Martin Harris said:

I’m honoured to lead the UK’s Embassy as we support Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy. Ukraine is defending the international principles underpinning the UK’s security, as well as its own.

The courage and resolve of the Ukrainian armed forces and people are a constant inspiration. It is a privilege to be here in Ukraine standing alongside them.

Our relationship has never been closer or more important. Together we are stronger.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Middle Eastern Peace Process.

Mr President,

I have three areas I wish to highlight since our last meeting in August.

Firstly, September 15 marked the third anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. The UK celebrates the success of the accords and we are unabashed in encouraging more countries to normalise their relations with Israel and seize the opportunities it presents. We are also committed to making sure that normalisation delivers concrete benefits for the Palestinian people.

Second, from 11 to 13 September, the British Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli and Palestinian leaders where he called for a de-escalation of tensions, emphasised the importance of holding long-overdue elections in the OPTs, and made crystal clear the UK’s commitment to a two-state solution as the only way to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. The 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords is a poignant reminder that we must work together to achieve lasting and sustainable peace in the region.

During his visit, the Foreign Secretary met the commissioner-general of UNRWA and he went to Jalazone refugee camp to see, first hand, the impact of the agency’s work to protect the most vulnerable. This brings me to my third point.

We have previously discussed the funding crisis that UNRWA faces. The UK was proud to announce an additional ten million pounds during the visit to help address the crisis. Other states also pledged more funds to UNRWA during high-level week, we must make sure those funds are available quickly and we must maintain efforts to put the agency on a more sustainable financial footing.

Separately, I want to highlight a UN OCHA report published last week showing that 1,105 Palestinians were displaced from their communities since 2022. A major and rising concern is the increasing settler violence in the OPTs, largely unchallenged, renders Palestinians at risk of forcible transfer. We call on the Israeli government to tackle this threat.

Tragically, 2023 has already seen at least 193 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and 31 Israelis have died at the hands of terrorists. We must end the cycle of violence.