Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 December 2022.

An agreement between Italy and the UK to allow the exchange of driving licences without the need to take a test has been signed today. Edward Llewellyn, the British Ambassador to Italy and Inigo Lambertini, the Italian Ambassador to the UK, met this morning to sign the agreement at the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome.

The agreement will allow holders of driving licences issued in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar, who live in Italy, to apply to exchange their driving licence for an Italian one*. The agreement also makes provision for exchange of expired licences [up to a period of 5 years/for up to 5 years after their date of expiry] as well as lost and stolen licences, subject to domestic procedures.

The British Ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn, said today:

I am delighted to announce that, after intensive work between London and Rome over many months, an agreement has been reached with the Italian authorities which will enable a UK driving licence to be exchanged for an Italian one for UK licence holders living in Italy without having to take any exam, either written or practical. This is great news for British citizens and UK licence holders living in Italy.

This has been a complex negotiation. The agreement we have reached is the result of very close cooperation with our Italian colleagues, reflecting the close ties between our countries. I would like to thank the Italian Government, as well as my colleagues in London and at the British Embassy in Rome, for all they have done to deliver this agreement.

We are now working hard with the Italian Government to bring the agreement into effect as quickly as possible after ratification on both sides. In the meantime, we are making arrangements with the Italian authorities to ensure that UK licences will continue to be recognised beyond 31 December 2022 for a further 12 months.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 December 2022.

A statement from the Foreign Secretary following his call with the family of Harry Dunn this afternoon.

Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

I had the opportunity to speak with the Dunn family today, and listen carefully to their concerns and hear about the pain they have gone through.  They have shown incredible resolve getting justice for Harry.

We have learnt important lessons from this tragic incident, including improvements to the process around exemptions from diplomatic immunity and ensuring the US takes steps to improve road safety around RAF Croughton.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 December 2022.

Statement by Alice Jacobs, UK Deputy Political Coordinator at the UN, at the Security Council meeting on Haiti.

Thank you, President and to our briefers –– including the new 2653 Committee Chair for their first update. I also welcome foreign ministers of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the Permanent Representative of Canada.

President, the United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by the ongoing dire humanitarian situation in Haiti, which is being compounded by chronic insecurity and political gridlock.

As we heard today so clearly from the DSG and SRSG La Lime, the actions of armed gangs have displaced thousands, limited free movement of people and goods and denied citizens access to medical services during a resurgent Cholera outbreak.

The United Kingdom remains convinced that the perpetrators and sponsors of the gang violence must be held to account and denied the capacity to spread further instability and suffering.

So we are pleased to see progress on sanctions that are imperative in tackling criminal behaviour. These sanctions are a necessary tool to break the cycle of criminal violence that so disastrously impacts the Haitian people.

However, sanctions alone will not work. This is why the International Community must consider seriously any request for assistance from the Haitian government and society, including on security.

This must support and empower Haitian efforts to improve the security situation on the ground to create the conditions for elections, so that the Haitian people may choose their next government.

The United Kingdom continues to support action that moves Haiti closer to security and stability, with a return to democratic processes as soon as possible.

We therefore welcome signs of movement towards resolving the political gridlock. But there must now be determined efforts to reach a political consensus. An urgent route forward is needed to address the insecurity, humanitarian and economic crises and avoid further deterioration of the situation.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 December 2022.

The UK supports the US assessment that North Korea has completed an arms delivery to Russia for the use by the Wagner Group in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

Following the US release of information that North Korea has been supplying arms to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, in breach of UN Security Council resolutions, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK supports the US assessment that North Korea has completed an arms delivery to Russia for use by the Wagner Group, which paid for this equipment and has thousands of troops in Ukraine. This is a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions. The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation. We will work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been under UK sanctions since 2020. In November 2022 the UK sanctioned two individuals for conscripting prisoners to the Wagner Group, which has been linked to some of the worst atrocities in Russia’s illegal war.

Background:

President Putin has increasingly turned to Wagner, owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin for military support in Ukraine. Prigozhin is spending more than $100 million per month to fund Wagner’s operations in Ukraine. Wagner is recruiting prisoners, including those with serious medical conditions, to fight in Ukraine.

For months, the Russian military has been relying on Wagner to lead combat operations in parts of the Donbas. In certain instances, Russian military officials are actually subordinate to Wagner’s command. We estimate that Wagner has 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts.

Wagner is playing a major role in Bakhmut where its ill-equipped and ill-trained forces are suffering heavy casualties. Approximately 1,000 Wagner fighters have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, and 90 per cent of those fatalities were convicts. In recent dates, Ukraine appears to have repulsed an offensive by Wagner forces in Bakhmut.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 December 2022.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, said:

The UK strongly condemns the Taliban’s decision to close universities for women across Afghanistan. This restriction represents a further violation of the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls and has no religious or moral basis. Afghan women and girls must have a say in their own future and be able to fully and equally contribute to society.

We urge the Taliban to reverse their decisions on education, including the 23 March 2022 decision to prohibit girls’ access to secondary school. Having educated and empowered women in Afghanistan is vital for peace, stability and economic development across the country – without this, the country will not achieve longer-term stability or prosperity. Bans to education will only fuel the continued exodus of educated Afghans, exacerbating the current humanitarian and economic crisis.

This decision will have damaging consequences for the Taliban by further isolating them from the people of Afghanistan and the international community. We will not support any restoration of waivers to the travel bans on UN-sanctioned Taliban until Afghan women and girls are allowed to attend secondary school and university. Working with likeminded partners, we will consider further action to persuade the Taliban to abandon these regressive measures and reverse their decisions.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 December 2022.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown condemns President Putin’s disastrous invasion and the devastation, death, and suffering that Putin has wrought.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Welcome Mr Lukashuk, you have our support and admiration. This Tuesday marked the 300th day of Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, supported by the Belarusian regime. Over these past 300 days, President Putin’s so-called ‘Special Military Operation’ has yet to achieve even one of its perverse objectives. This, despite Putin believing his military could take Kyiv in three days, and despite his claims he had no intentions to invade his peaceful neighbour.

Putin’s failed invasion has been a disaster, resulting in the decimation of the Russian military and economy and the loss of tens of thousands of Russian lives. Its impact has also been felt around the world, with Russia’s actions threatening global food and energy security and generating economic instability in countries thousands of miles from Moscow. This, however, pales by comparison to the devastation, death, and suffering that Putin has wrought on the Ukrainian people and their sovereign country.

Since this Council last met, Russia has again resorted to its cowardly tactic of bombing Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure, targeting the basic needs essential for the survival of Ukraine’s population. Last Friday, critical infrastructure across Ukraine, including in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporhizhzhia was targeted, once again leaving millions of Ukrainians without heat, electricity and running water in the dead of winter.

Last Friday, Maksym – a seven-year-old boy from Kryvyi Rih – was orphaned when his parents Lyudmila and Oleksandr, along with his 18-month-old brother, Timofey, were killed when a Russian missile directly hit their home. It is hard to argue that an apartment building, the home of two little boys, could be a legitimate military target for Russian missiles. Maksym will be facing this, and every future Christmas season, without his family, his life needlessly ripped apart by Russia’s horrific actions. His heart-breaking story is one of far too many across Ukraine.

Ukrainian children want nothing more than to live their lives in peace and freedom, with their families and friends around them, where they are not afraid of bombs falling from the sky, or forced to grow up in the shadow of a regime that seeks to destroy their very identity. According to UNICEF, Russia’s attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure have left almost every child in Ukraine at risk, facing a cold, dark winter with both their physical and long term mental health endangered.

Those in the temporarily Russia-controlled areas are suffering just as deeply, with the situation in these regions deteriorating daily. Lack of access to basic services, including safe water, and energy supply for heating, light and communication is endangering public health, already under strain from the lack of adequate healthcare. As local economies decline and unemployment rises, many in these areas continue to rely on humanitarian aid for survival – access to which is often hampered by the Russian authorities. Putin falsely claims that these areas are part of Russia – yet, its proxy administrations are not even able to provide basic services; on the contrary there are widespread reports of theft and looting by the Russian forces and those who claim to be in charge.

300 days since the invasion, there are no more lies Putin can hide behind to distract from his failures. The scale of reported atrocities and war crimes committed against the Ukrainian people is horrifying, and evidence continues to mount. The UK, and Ukraine’s partners, will not sit by and do nothing whilst more Ukrainian families suffer. This Monday, whilst meeting with some of Ukraine’s closest friends and allies, my Prime Minister pledged to match or exceed the £2.3bn in aid for Ukraine that we provided this year. He also committed to supply Ukraine with ammunition and equipment to continue its defence, reinforcing our steadfast support into 2023.

As we have stated many, many times – Putin has the ability to end this war. He must immediately cease attacks against civilians and civilian objects and withdraw his troops from Ukraine in adherence with the UN charter. But, until that happens, please know Mr Lukashuk, dear Viktoria, and colleagues here, that the UK and the international community will remain steadfast in our support – for however long it takes – to ensure that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the independence of Ukraine is fully restored.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 December 2022.

Thank you, President. I would like to thank Council Members for their constructive engagement on this text and for their support today.

As Somalia steps-up the fight against Al-Shabaab, ATMIS’s support remains vital. Yet, at the same time, the successful transition of responsibility from ATMIS to Somalia is an essential component of achieving long-term peace and security across Somalia.

The UK is proud to continue to provide financial support to the African Union and Somalia in this endeavour. In 2022, the UK will have provided over $55m for ATMIS and over $8m to the Somalia Trust Fund.

The extension to ATMIS Phase 1, authorised in this resolution, gives more time for the African Union and Somalia to work together and advance the strategic, gradual and sector-by-sector transition of security responsibility from ATMIS to Somali security and police forces.

The UK encourages the African Union and Somalia to seize this opportunity and we look forward to hearing about the progress made in March next year.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 December 2022.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the Security Council meeting on the Situation in Myanmar.

Thank you, President.

Today we have adopted the first Security Council resolution on the situation in Myanmar. It is the result of many weeks of careful consultation with Council Members, with ASEAN members, and with other key regional partners.

In February 2021, the military overturned the results of a democratic election, seized power and plunged Myanmar and its 55 million people into a series of cascading crises – humanitarian, economic and political. The coup has had negative consequences for the region and its stability, including by exacerbating existing challenges facing the Rohingya.

With this adoption, the Council has responded to the calls of ASEAN Leaders for UN support for their efforts. The resolution calls for the cessation of violence; immediate and concrete implementation of ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus; respect for the democratic will of the people of Myanmar; respect for human rights, and accountability for those who violate them; full and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need; and the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

The briefing of the Secretary-General in March, mandated under this resolution, will be an important opportunity to assess developments on the ground. And we stand ready to take further action as necessary.

Madam President, today we have sent a firm message to the military, that they should be in no doubt: we expect this resolution to be implemented, in full. We have also sent a clear message to the people of Myanmar, that we seek progress in line with their rights, their wishes and their interests.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 December 2022.

A joint statement from Foreign Ministers condemning the Taliban’s recent decision to ban women from universities in Afghanistan.

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union strongly condemn the Taliban’s recent decisions to ban women from universities, to continue to bar girls from secondary schools, and to impose other harsh restrictions on the ability of women and girls in Afghanistan to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Taliban’s oppressive measures against Afghan girls and women have been relentless and systemic. Over the last 16 months, the Taliban have issued no fewer than 16 decrees and edicts that, among other things, constrain women’s mobility, remove women from places of work, require head-to-toe coverings for women, ban women from using public spaces such as parks and gyms and leave widows and women-headed households in dire circumstances by the requirement of male guardianship. These policies make clear the Taliban’s disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Afghanistan.

Afghan women’s ingenuity and dynamism are needed urgently to help relieve profound and staggering economic and humanitarian needs. A stable, economically viable, and peaceful Afghanistan is only attainable and sustainable if all Afghans, including women and girls, can fully, equally, and meaningfully participate in and contribute to the country’s future and development.

We stand with all Afghans in their demand to exercise their human rights consistent with Afghanistan’s obligations under international law. With these moves, the Taliban are further isolating themselves from the Afghan population and the international community. We urge the Taliban to immediately abandon the new oppressive measures with respect to university education for women and girls and to, without delay, reverse the existing decision to prohibit girls’ access to secondary school.

Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban. Our foremost concern will continue to be the welfare, rights, and freedoms of the people of Afghanistan.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 December 2022.

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

Thank you, President. I want to start by thanking our briefers Special Envoy Geir Pedersen and USG Martin Griffiths for their comprehensive and sobering briefings today.

First, on the humanitarian situation. The facts on the ground are clear, as Special Envoy Pederson said, we have an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis. An estimated 15.3 million Syrians will be in dire need of humanitarian assistance by early 2023, with approximately 12 million facing acute food insecurity.

The Secretary General’s special report, published this month, sets out the criticality of food, shelter, and medical assistance — in particular, the response to cholera and immunisation services.

The UN has also clearly explained that cross-line operations compliment, but cannot replace or compensate for, the cross-border mechanism.

So my first point is that, with millions of Syrians facing another harsh winter, the moral and humanitarian imperatives are clear: renewing the cross-border mandate in January and continuing cross-border assistance is essential to the UN’s humanitarian operation, and provides a lifeline to those people in desperate need.

Madam President, my second point is that a political solution, as others have said, is the only way to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis. This means implementing Resolution 2254. That is to say: a nationwide ceasefire; safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees; free and fair elections in line with a new constitution and release of those arbitrarily detained.

We know that thousands of Syrians are arbitrarily detained in regime detention centres and information on their whereabouts is withheld from their families. Worse, the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported yesterday that hundreds of detainee deaths, including many children, were never reported to the families.

I want to thank, too, USG Griffiths for his work to address gender-based violence. Colleagues will recall that three weeks ago the UK hosted a preventing sexual violence in conflict conference to strengthen global response to this problem.

We call for the immediate reconvening of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva to focus on the substance of political transition. The Syrian opposition remains ready to engage in good faith. We urge Russia and the regime to do the same.

My third point, Madam President, is that as we have heard, continuing the status quo is not an option. Syria needs the Security Council to unite and to support renewal of cross-border aid within a humanitarian framework, and implementation of Security Council resolution 2254 – leading to a political solution.

Thank you.