Tag: Foreign Office

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

New report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirms Assad’s regime responsible for 2018 Douma attack.

The Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has condemned the Assad regime for its use of chemical weapons following the publication of a report by the OPCW which determined that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces used chlorine as a chemical weapon in an attack on Douma in April 2018.

Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, responded to the report:

Today’s report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons provides compelling evidence that this heinous chemical weapons attack in Syria was carried out by the Assad regime against its own people.

We share the OPCW’s assessment on Bashar al-Assad and his regime’s culpability and commend their resilience, professionalism and expert independent analysis in the face of desperate attempts by Syria and Russia to block this investigation.

We remember the victims of the Douma attack and remain committed to pursuing the justice they deserve. We are steadfast in our commitment to holding all those who use chemical weapons to account.

This is the third report by the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) into chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Following a lengthy and meticulous investigation and despite Syria’s attempts to block investigation, the OPCW report has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Arab Air Forces were the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attack on 7 April 2018 in Douma, Syrian Arab Republic.

Previous reports from the IIT had found the Assad regime responsible for carrying out three separate attacks with sarin and chlorine in Ltamenah in March 2017 and using chlorine in Saraqib in February 2018. Both are prohibited under international law.

The United Kingdom is determined to identify those responsible for chemical weapons attacks and hold them to account. Following the attack in 2018, the UK and allies identified that a significant body of information indicated the Syrian regime’s responsibility for the attack.

The UK, France and the US also carried out a limited and targeted strike to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. We are clear that we will not allow the use of chemical weapons to be normalised and remain firm in our resolve to respond appropriately.

The OPCW’s meticulous investigations have now confirmed the UK’s assessment that the Assad regime was responsible. The UK fully supports the OPCW’s investigations.

The OPCW membership has suspended Syria’s voting rights and privileges in the OPCW until it complies with its chemical weapons obligations. Syria must fully declare and destroy all aspects of its chemical weapons programme.

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

Ambassador Neil Bush marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and stresses the need to stand against antisemitism in all its forms.

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

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown joins others at the OSCE in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus.

Mr Chair, the Lukashenko regime continues to enact harsh repression against its own people. In Belarus, individuals exercising their human rights are systematically detained, abused, and subjected to intimidation and harassment. Civil society organisations face an unprecedented struggle for survival and at the last count there are as of today, 1,444 political prisoners in Belarus and 2,350 people have been declared “extremist”. Last year Lukashenko’s regime made at least 1,200 political convictions on criminal charges. 215 printed media outlets were shut, and since 2020 more than 1,000 NGOs have been liquidated.

2023 has already seen this continue. Even as this session takes place, numerous high-profile politically motivated trials are happening in Belarus. Nobel Peace Laureate Ales Bialiatski and two other members of human rights NGO Viasna are being prosecuted on trumped-up charges of smuggling and “financing group actions that violate public order.” On the first day of this trial the defendants were handcuffed and locked in a cage.

The trial of Svetlana Tikhanovksaya and other well-known opposition figures for treason began in absentia last week, with an empty cage representing her and fellow defendants. Svetlana was forced to flee the country in 2020, has stated that “in Belarus there are no honest trials.”

Independent journalists also cannot escape the long arm of the Lukashenko regime. Read by more than 60% of the population in 2019, Tut.by was the largest independent media group in Belarus. Former chief editor, Maryna Zolatava, and director-general, Lyudmila Chekina, are currently facing trial on trumped-up charges, including threatening the national security of Belarus. But, independent journalism is not a crime.

These are the names we know well, but many of the more than 1,400 currently in detention are ordinary Belarusians who are being brutally punished for protesting the fraudulent 2020 Presidential elections. Journalists, media actors, opposition figures, and human rights defenders sentenced for peacefully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, those same rights underscored by our collective commitments – on freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

We once again call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus. Since the new year, the Belarusian authorities have already turned their attention to expanding their toolbox of repression. Lukashenko has signed new laws, allowing the regime to confiscate property of individuals or organisations who engage in “unfriendly activities” towards Belarus.

The OSCE has been active in condemning the human rights situation in Belarus. In 2020, 17 States triggered the Moscow Mechanism, the report concluded that “massive and systematic” violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms had been committed by the Belarusian security forces.

Mr Chair, have the Belarusian authorities, who have been given ample opportunities, responded to the recommendations in the report? No. The human rights situation in Belarus has only deteriorated. In November 2021, we then invoked the Vienna Mechanism, yet again there was no substantive response.

We urge the Belarusian authorities to fully implement their international obligations and OSCE commitments, and to make use of the OSCE’s tools and mechanisms to help resolve the continuing human rights crisis in Belarus.

Finally, we commend the tireless work of civil society organisations and human rights defenders in Belarus, despite the very real dangers they face in conducting their vital work.

Thank you Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Richard Croker, at the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council Open Debate on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace.

Thank you, President. I am grateful to the Deputy Secretary-General, Peacebuilding Commission Chair, and Ms Ndiaye for their briefings.

As we all know, the cost of conflict is unsustainable – both in terms of human suffering, and the resources available for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid. The ‘New Agenda for Peace’ is an opportunity to put prevention front and centre, to save lives and greater costs down the line.

President, we understand that the concept of conflict prevention can raise sensitivities. But nationally-owned peacebuilding processes can bolster sovereignty and strengthen state resilience. This is at the heart of the Sustaining Peace framework articulated by the General Assembly in 2016 – which emphasises working with countries to meet their needs, shared responsibility and a whole-of-system approach. Fragilities are universal, and sustaining peace requires constant work in all countries.

Working together, the UK sees potential for greater impact in three key areas.

Firstly, we should support efforts to strengthen UN foresight capabilities to anticipate risks, and inform responses. We can better leverage data and technology to understand conflict risks, including in places where climate change is exacerbating those risks. And we can ensure the UN has the right mediation capacities, and wider networks, to help resolve conflicts before they escalate. Inclusive approaches and investing in women and youth peacebuilders is a priority, because we all know the evidence that this leads to results that are more durable.

Secondly, the UN family – ourselves included – must fully implement the Sustaining Peace agenda. This includes empowered Resident Coordinators leading joined-up peacebuilding approaches to maximise the impact at country-level of development, diplomatic and other efforts. The UK has long invested in the Peacebuilding Fund, with its critical role in incentivising UN coherence and underpinning nationally-owned prevention strategies. But coherence can also be driven and modelled better in New York among all parts of the UN system, including the Agencies, Funds and Programmes.

Finally, this Council can do more to support conflict prevention by being aware of emerging risks, and working in cooperation with relevant UN bodies and regional organisations to drive integrated responses. The Peacebuilding Commission is also a critical part of this equation – both in its own right, and through its advisory role to the Council. The United Kingdom strongly supports a more active role for the Commission. South Sudan’s active engagement is a welcome development and further example of the increasing interest in peacebuilding support.

President, the New Agenda for Peace is an opportunity to reinvigorate our shared commitment to sustaining peace. I welcome Japan’s initiative today to help move forward ideas. We all need to adapt to emerging threats and risk multipliers, investing in and prioritising prevention.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hosted Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili in London for the annual UK-Georgia Strategic Dialogue.

• Foreign Secretary underlines UK’s unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity during high-level talks with Georgian counterpart
• combatting hybrid threats from Russia, strengthening support for Ukraine and supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations were top of the agenda

The UK reiterated its commitment to the security and stability of Georgia today as the country faces increasing Russian aggression.

Known as the ‘Wardrop Dialogue’, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hosted Georgia’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili at Lancaster House in London (Thursday 26 January) for the eighth annual UK-Georgia Strategic Dialogue, telling Minister Darchiashvili that the UK would stand by Georgia for the long term.

The Foreign Secretary used the meeting to underline the UK’s unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which continue to be challenged by Russian hybrid tactics since their 2008 war, including through ongoing construction of barbed wire fences along the Administrative Boundary lines with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

He also welcomed Georgia’s support in the fight against Putin’s illegal war of Ukraine by providing vital humanitarian aid, including providing power generators and supporting refugees forced to flee their homes.

The Foreign Secretary recognised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrated the need to enhance and deepen cooperation with countries, including Georgia, that are particularly vulnerable to Russian aggression.

He also set out the UK’s commitment to playing a leading role in supporting Georgia to strengthen resilience against hybrid threats. This bolsters the wide-ranging assistance the UK already provides to Georgia covering military cooperation, cyber security and counter-disinformation.

During the meeting, the ministers agreed to increase cooperation on a range of priorities including combatting Putin’s aggression through continued collaboration on international sanctions and supporting Georgia’s aspirations for closer ties with NATO through the Tailored Support Package.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Few understand the reality of Russian aggression better than the people of Georgia.

Today I reiterated that the UK stands with our Georgian friends, and will continue our leading role in supporting them to counter hybrid threats they continue to face from Russia.

As part of the dialogue, the foreign ministers also signed an agreement to enhance cooperation on readmissions.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

Ambassador Bush condemns Russia’s attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and stresses Russia will not break the resolve of the Ukrainian people.

Thank you Mr. Chair. Last week I, and many others spoke about the devastating Russian missile attack on an apartment building in Dnipro. The lives of 46 innocent Ukrainian civilians were tragically cut short, including six children, with 80 injured and 11 still missing. This horrific attack was yet another example of Russia’s numerous and sustained violations of international law over the course of the last 11 months, which continue to this day. Following reports of further Russian strikes overnight, we stress our solidarity with Ukraine. Russia will not break the resolve of the Ukrainian people.

Since the start of Russia’s illegal invasion, and following several investigations by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG), ODHIR, the UN and through the Moscow Mechanism (to name but a few), there can be no doubt as to Russia’s culpability for atrocities and human rights violations carried out in Ukraine. The evidence is overwhelming.

We have seen indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the use of wide area, inaccurate weapons in residential and highly populated areas resulting in loss of life and widespread devastation. The theatre in Mariupol sheltering children. The railway station in Kramatorsk where women and children were fleeing. The shopping centre in Kremenchuk. Too many stories. Too many innocent victims.

We’ve heard harrowing testimony from survivors, detailing summary executions, unlawful confinement, torture, rape and other sexual violence committed in areas once under Russian control. As recorded by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, family members, including children, were sometimes forced to witness the crimes – powerless to act. We have spoken of Russia’s disturbing policy of filtration and of those who have disappeared, some unlawfully deported to Russia – including orphaned children. We recall the attacks against sites with protected status – medical and educational facilities, cultural and religious sites, and energy infrastructure. We commend the investigators seeking the truth, often under dangerous conditions, and those courageous survivors willing to share their testimony to ensure justice is delivered.

As reported by ODHIR, the sheer number of accounts describing allegedly systematic torture and ill-treatment inflicted upon civilians by Russian forces seems to suggest these practices were carried out in an atmosphere of impunity.

However, we will not allow ourselves to become numb to the immense suffering caused by Russia’s illegal invasion. The victims and the survivors will be remembered. We must, and we will, deliver justice and accountability for all of them. For those in Bucha, Irpin, Izium, Makariv, Kupiansk, Mariupol. The list is far too long and the price paid by Ukrainians for their freedom far too high.

There can be no lasting peace in Ukraine without justice. In London this March, Justice Ministers from across the world will meet to discuss further provision of financial and practical support to the International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine. We will ensure the ICC has all it needs to pursue investigations and prosecute those responsible. The UK has joined a core group of partners to ensure criminal accountability for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. UK legal expertise will be utilised to ensure Russia’s leaders are held to account fully for their actions. We continue our work with the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) for Ukraine, bringing together multinational experts to assist and advise the OPG War Crimes units in their tireless work.

Last week we and many participating States asked the Russian Federation for a comprehensive response to the reports of SMM vehicles being used in eastern Ukraine. These are the assets of the organisation and its participating States.

In closing, Mr Chair, the international community must collectively send a strong message to the Russian government – through our words and through our actions. We will not stand for unbridled aggression against a sovereign state; we will not tolerate violations and abuses of international law and human rights; we will not sit back and allow the perpetrators of such egregious crimes in Ukraine go unpunished; and we will seek and see justice delivered for those who have suffered at the hands of Russian aggression.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

Ambassador Bush voices full support for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s continued focus on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2023.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 January 2023.

Rear Admiral Tim Woods has joined British Embassy Washington as its new Defence Attaché. He will lead the UK’s extensive military engagement and partnerships across all branches of the United States military.

Rear Admiral Woods joins the team in Washington from Kyiv, Ukraine where he was the British Defence Attaché – at the frontline of the UK’s support to the Ukrainian military. In Kyiv he also served as Head of the British Defence Staff in Eastern Europe, commanding all Defence Attaches across Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine at a defining moment in European security.

He brings more than three decades’ experience both on land and at sea. Previous roles have included active duty in Afghanistan, deployments to the Far East, submarine patrols, secondments to NATO, the UK Ministry of Defence and the National Security Secretariat.

Rear Admiral Woods joined the Royal Navy in 1988 after training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, south west England, and at sea. He is a graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies, where he was awarded the Wellington Prize for Strategic Analysis.

Commenting on the appointment, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America Dame Karen Pierce said:

I am delighted to welcome Rear Admiral Tim Woods to the British Embassy. The UK’s military-to-military links with the US form part of the bedrock of the Special Relationship and have protected our citizens for decades. Tim’s extensive experience in Ukraine, NATO and with US forces will be a huge asset at this critical time, as we work with the US to support Ukraine.

The Rear Admiral said he was relishing his new role at the heart of the UK-US defence relationship:

I have worked closely with our American colleagues throughout my military career and have seen the strength of the relationship – the UK’s most important single bilateral partnership – at first hand.

I am thrilled to have moved to such an exciting and welcoming country, and am looking forward to meeting US decision makers to ensure our hand-in-glove relationship remains very focussed on the range of pressing defence and security threats. I also look forward to travelling throughout the various states over the next three years, and seeing our defence collaboration in action across America.

Rear Admiral Woods takes over the role of UK Defence Attaché at the British Embassy from Air Vice-Marshal Mick Smeath who will become Director of the Global Defence Network, the head of UK Defence Attachés worldwide.