Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 December 2022.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverley says the disaster in Ukraine will only end when Russia halts its barbaric war and withdraws fully and unconditionally.

Thank you, Foreign Minister Rau.

The tragic events of this year have shown the enduring value of the OSCE as a forum for dialogue, transparency, and confidence-building. Everything the OSCE does is based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-use of force. These are the foundation stones of peace in our continent.

Last year in Stockholm, the UK and many other countries warned Russia that any attack on Ukraine would be a ‘strategic mistake’. And yet, on 24 February, Russia – with the support of Belarus – invaded Ukraine.

Our Ukrainian friends fought back with courage and tenacity, defeating Russian forces at the gates of Kyiv, repelling them from Kharkiv, and now expelling the aggressor from Kherson. Is there anyone anywhere – even in the abodes of the guilty – who would still doubt that Russia’s aggression was a strategic mistake as well as a crime?

The reports of the Moscow Mechanism have detailed the atrocities of Russia’s armed forces in Ukraine, including torture, executing civilians, unlawful detention and enforced disappearances, and countless other breaches of international humanitarian law.

No wonder that Russia tried to conceal these outrages, including by blocking the mandate renewal of the OSCE’s Border Observer Mission and the Special Monitoring Mission, by frustrating the work of OSCE human rights institutions, and stopping civil society meetings with all 57 states. The UK supports the continued OSCE presence in Ukraine and welcomes the efforts to ensure this continues. We commend the work of OSCE staff throughout the whole OSCE region who have been working in challenging circumstances this past year.

This disaster will only end when Russia halts its barbaric war and withdraws its forces fully and unconditionally from the territory of Ukraine. Until that day comes, the UK will stand with Ukraine and provide humanitarian, economic, diplomatic and military support until our friends prevail – as they inevitably will – and their brave country is free once more.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff marking 150th anniversary of famous fixture by playing Scotland v England games around the world
• granddaughter of football legend Jack Charlton amongst those pulling on their boots to celebrate the world’s first international football match
• diplomats working overseas in countries including Bahrain, British Virgin Islands, Malaysia, Mozambique, Poland and Serbia celebrate with St Andrew’s Day kickabouts 150 years on from first ever Scotland v England friendly

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff around the world have been marking the 150th anniversary of the first ever football international on St Andrew’s Day by holding their own Scotland v England matches.

The granddaughter of football legend Jack Charlton will line-up for England in a charity match organised by staff at the FCDO’s joint HQ, Abercrombie House, in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire this Sunday (4 December).

Kate Wilkinson moved to Scotland 6 years ago to work as a Syria programme manager for FCDO and is looking forward starring in the staff Scotland v England clash, which is raising funds jointly for the East Kilbride Community Trust and Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire.

Diplomats working overseas in countries including Bahrain, the British Virgin Islands, Malaysia, Mozambique, Poland and Serbia are also celebrating the historic fixture’s 150th birthday.

The fixture is celebrated as the world’s first international football match after Scotland and England drew 0-0 in front of 4,000 spectators at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground, in Glasgow, on 30 November 1872.

World Cup winning defender Jack, who died aged 85 in 2020 after a battle with lymphoma, made his mark on the famous fixture.

Leeds-born Kate, 28, said:

My grandad loved England v Scotland games and used to joke to fans that if he had not got injured in the famous 1967 match, Scotland would never have won 3-2.

There were no substitutes allowed back then so my grandad was forced to hobble around as a striker for most of the match after breaking his toe early on. He still managed to score a goal.

I’m very much looking forward to helping celebrate the 150th anniversary of the fixture, although I’ve told my team not to expect much from me- I’ve got 2 left feet!

Funnily enough, the Charlton soccer skills did not pass down from either Jack or Bobby to the rest of the family. There was no danger of me being part of the England Lioness’ Euro winning side this summer.

I think my grandad must have taken one look at me and my siblings playing when we were younger and thought ‘Gosh, what on earth has happened here?’.

I’m sure once my team have seen me play, they will decide I’d be better cheering them on to victory from the touchline. It’s a great chance for us to raise money for good causes.

Almost 1,000 staff are at the heart of delivering UK foreign policy from the FCDO’s joint HQ in Scotland – with plans to redeploy a further 500 jobs to the East Kilbride site as part of the UK government’s levelling-up agenda.

Sunday’s fundraiser is taking place at the K-Training Academy in East Kilbride at 4pm.

East Kilbride Community Trust Facilities Manager Ian Aitchison said:

It is fantastic that the FCDO is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of international football by holding Scotland v England games around the world.

Ideally, Scotland would have been facing England this week at the World Cup, but we are proud to be part of this event in East Kilbride.

Scots diplomat Euan Davidson and English colleague Freddie Brunt skippered the sides for a Scotland v England 6-a-side match in Maputo, Mozambique on Sunday. The Dark Blues triumphed 9-5.

Euan beamed:

It was a great game for the neutral, with England regaining the lead in the last 10 minutes before Scotland came back to secure a historic win.

What the Scottish players lacked in fitness, skills and ability, we made up for with some creative signings, drawing on Mozambicans, Brazilians and Dutch players to score all our goals!

Freddie said:

It was a topsy-turvy game played in true British conditions – windy and wet. Scotland were leading, England came back, but then we tired and Scotland ran away with it.

I suppose the Scotland win will soften the blow of them not having a team to cheer on at the World Cup… unlike England and Wales.

Staff in Warsaw, Poland braved snow and sub-zero temperatures to play their game, while in Belgrade, Serbia diplomats Lara Bryden and Thomas Wright had fun contesting a Scotland v England Subbuteo game during a St Andrew’s Day event held at the British Embassy. Their match finished 1-1.

The FCDO is also celebrating St Andrew’s Day around the world – with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack travelling to Paris on a 2-day trip to promote Scottish trade with France.

The Secretary of State will meet UK and French businesses, as well as government ministers, diplomatic staff, parliamentarians, senators and British community leaders. He will visit Chanel, to see how they are using Harris Tweed and other Scottish materials in their latest range, and will also jointly host a St Andrew’s night dinner with the British Ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

UK explanation of vote at the Security Council adoption on the mandate of the 1540 Committee.

Thank you Mr President.

We voted in favour of this resolution, as the United Kingdom is steadfast in its commitment to preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and their means of delivery. Resolution 1540 remains a key pillar of the non-proliferation framework. We call on all states to implement their obligations under Resolution 1540 in full.

We pay tribute to the Chair of the 1540 Committee and his team in guiding us through the review process and to a new ten-year mandate for the Committee. We thank the Group of Experts and its coordinator for their support to the Committee in its work.

The obligations set out in Resolution 1540 remain as relevant as ever, but the context in which states are implementing them has changed since 2004. We are disappointed that due to the resistance of one Council Member, this resolution did not go further in strengthening the 1540 Committee’s support to Member States as they implement the resolution, including on the important issue of proliferation finance.

We look forward to continued cooperation with all Council Members through the 1540 Committee. The risks of WMD proliferation to non-state actors are grave. Collectively, we must redouble our efforts to address them.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

The Foreign Secretary has announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting officials who have promoted and enforced mobilisation in Russia.

• Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation and officials behind the forced mobilisation of citizens in Russia sanctioned
• Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation, also sanctioned for supporting the recruitment of prisoners into Wagner Group
• The UK has now sanctioned over 1,200 individuals and over 120 entities in response to Putin’s war in Ukraine

The Foreign Secretary has today (Wednesday 30 November) announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting the officials who have promoted and enforced the conscription of citizens to fight in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

This includes the Deputy Prime Minister Denis Valentinovich Manturov, who is responsible for overseeing the Russian weapons industry and responsible for equipping mobilised troops.

10 governors and regional heads have also been sanctioned. This includes the heads of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kalmykia – some of Russia’s poorest ethnic republics, from which a significant number of conscripts have been drawn. In July, the UK sanctioned 29 regional governors for their role in providing financial support to Russian proxy administrations in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The Russian regime’s decision to partially mobilise Russian citizens was a desperate attempt to overwhelm the valiant Ukrainians defending their territory. It has failed.

Today we have sanctioned individuals who have enforced this conscription, sending thousands of Russian citizens to fight in Putin’s illegal and abhorrent war.

The UK will continue to use both sanctions and military aid to support Ukraine in the defence of their independence.

Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation and Dmitry Bezrukikh, the head of the Federal Punishment Service of the Rostov region, have also been sanctioned.

Bezrukikh and Gostev have reportedly worked closely with oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, ally of Putin and head of the Wagner Group, to fill the ranks of the mercenary gang that is supporting Russia’s army in Ukraine.

They have drafted criminals, including murderers and sex offenders, in exchange for pardons from President Putin – resulting in Bezrukikh’s region being dubbed ‘The Wagner Group recruitment hub’.

Also sanctioned today are Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Central Election Commission and Andrey Burov, head of the regional election commission in Rostov, who were both responsible for organising the sham referendums in the four temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. Pamfilova has since actively supported Russia’s forced mobilisation.

The UK has continued to support Ukraine through delivering vital military equipment, as well as implementing targeted sanctions to undermine the Russian war machine.

The UK has committed over £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including most recently a package including 25 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones.

UK sanctions are also having a significant impact on Russia’s ability to maintain their war machine. Technology imports have forced them to mobilise Soviet-era tanks and use semiconductors from kitchen appliances to restock equipment. Recent Defence Intelligence has shown that Russia is likely removing nuclear warheads from ageing cruise missiles, and using them in Ukraine, as a desperate attempt to maintain their assault.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

Statement by Tom Woodroffe, UK Ambassador to the UN ECOSOC, at the Arria formula meeting on climate and security.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

The United Kingdom and Brazil signed a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) on Tuesday (29/11). The Agreement will provide relief from the double taxation of income in both countries. It is the most significant development in the trade relationship between the United Kingdom and Brazil in many years and represents a concrete response to demands from business in both countries – exploratory dialogues have been ongoing since 2017. Double taxation makes cross-border trade and investment more expensive, as well as creating obstacles for cross-border workers, which is burdensome for both the business sector and for individuals.

The main benefits of the bilateral agreement will be to:

• Provide tax certainty and predictability to business, facilitating long-term investments;
• Help tackle tax evasion by providing for the exchange of information between the two countries;
• Intensify trade and investment between Brazil and the United Kingdom, strengthening the bilateral relationship.

The DTA brings about important benefits for the British and Brazilian economies. It will ensure that United Kingdom and Brazilian businesses encounter fewer economic and administrative burdens when doing business in the other country and reduce the costs of doing so.

As a result, we anticipate that the Brazilian market will become a more attractive place to invest for the British business community and will also facilitate Brazilian investment in the United Kingdom contributing to job creation, innovation and prosperity.

The link to the full text of the agreement will be included here once it is published on the official page of the British Government.

Before the signing of the DTA, Brazil was one of the only major trading partners of the United Kingdom that had not yet concluded an agreement to avoid double taxation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

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

Thank you President.

And thank you Special Envoy Pedersen and Under Secretary General Griffiths, for your clear briefings and your commitment to Syria.

The key to ending this conflict is through the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254. We welcome your untiring efforts, Special Envoy Pederson, to facilitate a sustainable resolution to the conflict and the clear steps you’ve set out this morning. Reconvening the Constitutional Committee in Geneva is the step we particularly need to see. And Russia has stopped standing in the way of this. Political progress desperately needed.

While the conflict drags on, we continue to receive reports of torture and killings in detention centres across Syria, in particular at Sednaya prison. UN Member States have been clear in condemning these systematic violations of human rights, adopting a resolution on human rights in Syria this month. We condemn these violations, and again call for the release of detainees.

In this context, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. This is clearly not about sanctions, which are strictly enforced against entities involved in repressing the civilian population, and which include specific humanitarian provisions and exemptions. So let’s be clear about the facts.

14.6 million Syrians are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. A huge increase since three other border crossings were unnecessarily closed in 2020.

The UN has repeatedly told us that the cross-border mechanism is a lifeline for 4.1 million people. On average 20 trucks of food, lifesaving medicines passing through Bab-al Hawa reach people in need every day.

Nothing can replace the scope or scale of this cross border humanitarian operation, and it must continue. The ‘fate’ of this mandate is the ‘fate’ of 4.1 million people who rely on its assistance. And those who are concerned with the humanitarian situation will not delay or compromise their lifeline.

The current cholera outbreak highlights the importance of an effective and predictable UN response, including in early recovery. 30% of UK funding to Syria in 2022 will go to such projects, most of which are focused on water and healthcare. We also welcome progress on crossline efforts. But this is slowed by the Syrian regime’s insistence on new approvals for each convoy, and ongoing fighting. It is simply impossible to replicate with crossline assistance, what is being delivered through the cross-border operation.

President,

As winter approaches, this Council should do everything it can to respond to the needs of the Syrian people.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

More than 50 countries and the UN agreed urgent action to end sexual violence in conflict at the UK-hosted PSVI Conference this week.

• More than 50 countries have signed a UK-led declaration to end the scourge of sexual violence in conflict.
• Around 40 countries, including the UK, have also made national commitments outlining the steps they will take to tackle sexual violence in conflict.
• On the first day of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict conference (Monday 29 November) the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, said sexual violence is being used “systematically and openly”.

More than 50 countries and the UN have agreed urgent action to end sexual violence in conflict, by signing up to a new declaration at a UK-hosted summit this week.

The countries agreed to take action to address triggers such as gender inequality, remove the stigma faced by victims, and make sure national laws are in place to prosecute perpetrators.

Around 40 countries, including Colombia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Japan have also gone further, and set out national commitments on the practical steps they will take to tackle these crimes and make a difference on the ground.

For example, Nigeria has committed to champion the Murad Code, a UK-backed code of conduct to ensure that the experiences of survivors of sexual violence in conflict are documented ethically and effectively.

The USA has committed $10 million over two years to support civil society organisations to document sexual violence in conflict in line with the Murad Code.

President Biden has also issued a memorandum setting out the USA’s intention to promote accountability for conflict-related sexual violence, including through economic sanctions, visa restrictions, and additional measures and authorities.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports of sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers against civilians escalated. In addition, assessments conducted in Moldova, Poland, and Romania revealed high risks of organised trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse of women and children.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Rape in war violates international values as severely as the use of chemical weapons. We must hold perpetrators to account and deliver justice for those affected.

By signing this declaration, we are clear that sexual violence in conflict is a line that should never be crossed. Now is the time to take real action globally to end this horrific crime.

When opening the conference, the Foreign Secretary announced a three-year strategy to tackle sexual violence in conflict which will be backed by up to £12.5 million of new funding.

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

In the last 10 years, we have come a long way, but we know that much more must be done, both to help survivors and to prevent others from suffering such violence. Rape, torture, sexual violence is real, it is happening today. It is a shocking reality of our world in 2022.

Our aim is to make a long-lasting, tangible change in the lives of survivors, while preventing others from going through similar horrific ordeals in the future. We owe it to the courageous survivors who are an inspiration to us all.

Representatives from around 40 countries attended the two-day conference in London, which brought the international community together to take action to end these horrific crimes.

The conference heard from survivors whose moving testimony demonstrated how sexual violence in war and conflict can shatter lives.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

Stephen Lillie, Director, Defence and International Security, has given a speech at the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

Mr President,

Let me begin by congratulating you on your election as President of this Review Conference. You have the UK’s full support.

We deeply appreciate your efforts to bring States Parties closer to consensus and, we hope, a substantive outcome. We acknowledge the challenging backdrop, and the delay to this Revcon, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are extremely grateful to the Implementation Support Unit for its tireless efforts throughout this inter-sessional and preparatory process.

The ISU continues to demonstrate its importance to the successful implementation of this Convention and our shared international efforts to maintain the prohibition against biological weapons.

Mr President,

Since the last Review Conference, two major events have shaped the backdrop for this Conference: the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s horrific invasion of Ukraine.

The Covid-19 pandemic showed us the devastating impacts that an infectious disease outbreak can have on our societies and our economies, and revealed significant gaps in global preparedness and response.

Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine has been devastating for the people of Ukraine and the wider world.

This Convention’s work has been plagued by disinformation associated with both.

Russia persists with its attempts to advance their baseless allegations against the US and Ukraine. Its invocation of Article 5 and Article 6 of the Convention were an abuse of those provisions.

Participants in this Review Conference should be in no doubt about that.

This Review Conference must express clear support for international cooperation for peaceful applications of biosciences across human, animal and plant health, as provided for under Article 10, is a vital aspect of this Convention. We must defend Article 10 against malicious disinformation.

Mr President,

Since the last Review Conference, the threats posed by biological weapons have evolved and diversified.

Rapid advances in science and technology offer great benefits in terms of peaceful research, but may also increase the threats posed by those intending to misuse biotechnology.

The UK strongly believes that we must respond to these challenges with renewed collective efforts to strengthen this Convention, as our upcoming refreshed national Biological Security Strategy will reaffirm.

Thanks to the hard work of States Parties during this inter-sessional process the path ahead is clear.

We must properly equip and resource the Implementation Support Unit so that it can fulfil its increasing responsibilities.

We must strengthen international cooperation on peaceful uses of biology under Article 10.

We must agree a systematic and structured science and technology review process to enable the Convention to respond flexibly to current and future biological threats.

We must operationalise Article 6I and strengthen global preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks, be they natural, accidental or deliberate in origin.

We must agree to devolve specific decision-making authorities to other meetings throughout the intersessional period, in order to enable more effective and agile responses under the BTWC.

And above all we must grab the main offer on the table. The UK welcomes and supports the proposal by Canada and the Netherlands to establish a temporary Experts Working Group to find ways of strengthening implementation of the Convention.

We welcome that these ways could include possible legal, verification or other assurance measures.

In the history of this Convention these sorts of chances do not come around often – we should grasp them together.

For too long, our Convention has been the prisoner of its history; this is our chance to reshape it for the future.

Mr President,

As one of three Depositary Governments to this Convention the UK remains steadfast in its commitment to strengthening the BTWC and safeguarding the Convention. We are equally steadfast in resisting attempts to undermine it.

We cannot stand by and allow the protection afforded by the Convention to be undermined by collective failure to adapt and reform it.

We call on all States Parties to seize the opportunities presented at this Review Conference, to engage in the spirit of compromise, and with the shared goal of strengthening our Convention.

Thank you, Mr President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 November 2022.

The UK, US, Canada and the EU have issued a joint statement welcoming the decision announced by Venezuelan negotiators to restart the dialogue process in Mexico City.

The following statement was released on 26 November by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, together with the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs the Honourable Mélanie Joly, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.

We welcome the decision announced today by Venezuelan negotiators to restart the dialogue process in Mexico City. We urge the parties to engage in good faith toward a comprehensive agreement leading to free and fair elections in 2024, the restoration of democratic institutions, and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

We welcome the Mesa Social humanitarian agreement and the willingness of all parties to pursue joint initiatives that will benefit the Venezuelan people and help address their dire humanitarian needs. This agreement provides the template for how further progress can be secured. We are grateful for the work of the United Nations towards this goal.

We believe that participation in the negotiations should be inclusive, diverse, and representative of the Venezuelan population to ensure that an agreement is durable and long-lasting.

We continue to call for the unconditional release of all those unjustly detained for political reasons, the independence of the electoral process and judicial institutions, freedom of expression including for members of the press, and respect for human rights.

We remain committed to supporting the return of democracy in Venezuela and the efforts by Venezuelans to reach their democratic aspirations. In this context, we underline the need for the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the 2021 EU Electoral Observation Mission to Venezuela aimed at improving future electoral processes in line with international commitments on democratic elections subscribed by Venezuela.

We will continue to work with our international partners to address the urgent needs of all Venezuelans inside and outside their country.

We are grateful to Norway for their steadfast dedication in facilitating this process, to Mexico for hosting the negotiations, and to Venezuela’s democratic actors whose commitment to finding a negotiated solution to the crisis has been resolute.

We reiterate our willingness to review sanctions policies if the regime makes meaningful progress in the announced talks to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people and bring them closer to a restoration of democracy.