Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2023.

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

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly instructed FCDO officials to summon Iran’s most senior diplomat, due to serious threats against journalists living in the UK.

• Iranian Chargé d’Affaires told threats to media freedom will not be tolerated following intimidation of Iran International in the UK
• separately, new UK sanctions imposed on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, including the commander of province in which security forces have severely injured and killed children
• three senior judges also sanctioned for imposing death penalties on protestors in Iran

The Foreign Secretary today instructed Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) officials to summon Iran’s most senior diplomat, due to serious threats against journalists living in the UK.

It follows the decision at the weekend by Iran International, a London-based TV network, to suspend UK operations as a result of continued threats to its staff by the Iranian regime.

Vijay Rangarajan, Director General for the Middle East, held the meeting with Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Mehdi Hosseini Matin to make clear the UK will not tolerate threats to life and media freedom.

As part of wider efforts to hold the regime to account over its behaviour globally, the UK and international partners have also today imposed further sanctions on 8 senior Iranian figures responsible for repressing their own people.

They include 3 judges who imposed the death penalty against protestors and 5 IRGC commanders.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK will always stand up to countries who threaten our fundamental values of freedom of expression and the media.

I am appalled by the Iranian regime’s continuing threats to the lives of UK-based journalists and have today summoned its representative to make clear this will not be tolerated.

As part of wider efforts to hold Iran to account, the UK has today also sanctioned a further 8 individuals responsible for horrific human rights violations in Iran, including the killing of children. We will never allow the regime’s threats to go unchallenged.

The individuals sanctioned today include:

• Mohammad Taghi Osanloo: an IRGC Ground Forces Commander in West Azerbaijan and Kurdistan where children are among those who have been killed during the protests. Video footage showed that a 10-year-old was severely injured after being shot by IRGC forces on 26 September
• Mohammad Karami: when referring to peaceful protestors, Karami pledged to  “wreak vengeance on the terrorist groups” while he was an IRGC Ground Forces Commander in Sistan and Baluchestan province where over 80 protestors and bystanders were killed in September 2022
• Musa Asif Al-Hosseini: issued death penalties to Mohammed Karami and Mohammed Hosseini, who were executed in January 2023 despite trials which reportedly relied on forced confessions
• Morteza Barati: as part of the ‘Isfahan House case’ in January 2023, he is reported to have sentenced Saleh Mirhashmi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaqoubi Kurdsafli to death. It was reported that Barati did not allow the presence of appointed counsel during the trial and that Kazemi was subjected to torture

Since Mahsa Amini’s death in September 2022, the UK has imposed sanctions on more than 50 Iranian individuals and entities in response to human rights violations by the regime.

These sanctions constitute an asset freeze and UK travel ban on the individuals concerned and send a wider signal on the UK’s commitment to backing condemnation with action.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2023.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson comments on the recent missile tests carried out by North Korea on 20 February 2023.

North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 20 February are a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

North Korea’s repeated testing of ballistic missile technology poses a threat to our regional partners and global security.

The UK continues to work closely with partners to urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 February 2023.

UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell travelled to southern Turkey on Sunday 19 February to see the response first-hand.

• First trip by UK Minister to Turkey since devastating earthquakes to witness first-hand impact of UK aid, helping those affected in Turkey and Syria.
• Follows major new UK aid package on 15 February in response to needs on the ground in both Turkey and Syria.
• Minister toured a UK-led Field Hospital in Türkoğlu to thank UK medical staff for providing lifesaving care alongside Turkish medics, and met UK-aid-funded White Helmets (Syrian Civil Defence) to discuss what is needed in the next stage of the response

As the UK continues to play a leading role in the global response to the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell travelled to southern Turkey on Sunday 19 February to see the response first-hand.

He witnessed the work of UK medical and aid teams supporting the Turkish authorities, Syrian organisations, UN and other aid organisations to coordinate the emergency response in both Turkey and Syria.

In Türkoğlu he toured a joint MoD-FCDO Field Hospital staffed by UK-Med and MoD personnel with an emergency room and 24/7 operating centre providing lifesaving care and thanked UK medical staff working side-by-side with Turkish medics.

He also met the White Helmets and Syrian Women’s groups as well as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) member charity, Care International, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and UN agencies to hear first-hand about their relief efforts in Turkey and Syria and understand what more needs to be done as the crisis moves from rescue to recovery.

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

We have been working since day one of this terrible earthquake to help coordinate the emergency response in both Turkey and Syria and provide life-saving support to those who need it.

As this evolving situation heads into a new phase from rescue to recovery, I’ve seen first-hand the incredible efforts on the ground at the field hospital, with UK medical teams providing live-saving operations, including to those rescued from under the rubble.

The British public’s response to the Disasters and Emergency Committee appeal, which has now reached a staggering £88 million, underlines the strong support from the UK for rescue and recovery following this tragic event.

I have seen and heard today how this extraordinary generosity has enabled British expertise, charities and NGOs to scale up their support and make a real difference to the people of Turkey and Syria.

The UK match funded the first £5 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal providing immediate life-saving support to hardest-hit areas, thanks to the compassion and generosity of the British public.

The visit follows a further £25 million major UK package of support on 15 February, with the UK responding to needs on the ground in Turkey and in Syria in line with requests from the Turkish authorities, the UN and aid agencies.

The UK also sent a team of 77 search and rescue experts with specialist equipment, as well as four rescue dogs, who worked day and night to help people affected by the earthquake. The UK-aid-funded White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence) mobilised a significant search and rescue effort and the UK mobilised an additional £4.3 million to the White Helmets in support of this. As we move from rescue to recovery, the UK is continuing to send urgent relief supplies to Turkey and Syria such as tents and blankets to help survivors cope with the freezing conditions.

We are working closely with the UN to maintain the swift delivery of these supplies across the Turkish border into north-west Syria.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 February 2023.

Attending the opening day of the Munich Security Conference today, the Defence Secretary urged attendees to continue supporting Ukraine with military aid.

• Ben Wallace spoke about the nuclear order and challenges for transatlantic defence.
• Military support for Ukraine also high on the agenda during the conference.
• Comes after a meeting of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force in the Netherlands yesterday.

Attending the opening day of the Munich Security Conference today (17 February), the Defence Secretary urged attendees to continue supporting Ukraine with the military aid needed to repel Russia’s invasion.

During the conference, the Defence Secretary also took part in a panel discussion on challenges for transatlantic defence and the nuclear order, in which he stressed the importance of NATO maintaining its nuclear capability as a deterrent force against further Russian aggression in Europe.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said:

NATO remains united in the face of threats to our security in the Euro-Atlantic. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and the global response to it, go to show the importance of our international alliances and partnerships.

The Munich Security Conference concludes a week of intense diplomatic activity for the Defence Secretary.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, he represented the UK at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

Members of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force met in the Hague, the Netherlands on Thursday, where they agreed on the need to continue to accelerate the supply of military aid to Ukraine.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a group of like-minded nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom. The nations share the same purpose, values and a common focus on security and stability in the JEF core regions of the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region.

The JEF provides a responsive, capable, and ready military force that undertakes integrated activities at sea, on land and in the air, across northern Europe.

These activities are preventative and proportionate and demonstrate solidarity, capability, and resolve to stand together for security and stability in the JEF core regions.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 February 2023.

Three Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft are helping to deliver NATO’s package of emergency support to Turkey, following the devastating earthquakes this month.

An RAF Atlas A400M and two C130 Hercules are transporting a NATO Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) from Italy to Turkey today (17 February). The UK is a leading contributor to NATO and the Defence Secretary was in Brussels this week for a meeting of the Alliance’s Defence Ministers, where support for Turkey was discussed, as well as our ongoing commitment to Ukraine.

The NATO OLRT includes twelve personnel, four Land Rovers with trailers, and pallets of equipment which are being deployed ahead of the larger NATO accommodation package announced by the NATO Secretary General yesterday, which will begin to arrive next week. The NATO package includes thousands of tents to provide shelter for those affected by the quake.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
We are committed to helping our close partner Turkey following the devastating earthquakes and have deployed flights, medics and aid to support the recovery efforts. We will continue to explore options for further support and I am in regular contact with my counterpart and friend Defence Minister Akar.

The Ministry of Defence is supporting Turkey bilaterally with specialist medical assistance, alongside the FCDO. A critical care air support team and C130 transport aircraft has deployed to Turkey to transport patients from areas most impacted by the earthquake, and a UK Medical Treatment Facility has been set up in Turkoglu to treat hundreds of people.

The RAF has also flown over 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid and 81 tonnes of medical aid to the people of Turkey and Syria including thousands of thermal blankets and medical supplies, and £25 million in new funding to support the response was announced this week.

The UK also sent a team of 77 search and rescue experts with specialist equipment, as well as four rescue dogs, who worked day and night to help people affected by the earthquake.

More UK flights are on standby should they be required by NATO and the UK will continue to contribute to the NATO Alliance’s support to Turkey.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 February 2023.

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

Thank you, President, and thank you to Assistant Secretary-General Jenca and Mr Sajdik for their briefings.

President, Russia has called this meeting allegedly to discuss “lessons learnt from the Minsk agreements for conflict prevention.”

A year ago today, we met in this Chamber to discuss the Minsk Agreements. At that time, Russia had built up a force of over 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, inflaming tensions and causing widespread concern.

The message from this Council then was clear: despite the challenges, there had to be urgent de-escalation and dialogue between all parties. USG DiCarlo, and the representatives of the OSCE, repeated this message.

The Secretary-General called for respect for the UN Charter, and reiterated there was no alternative to diplomacy.

Urgent diplomatic efforts were underway to engage Russia through the OSCE Vienna Document process – Russia did not turn up to the meetings – through the Normandy format, and the NATO-Russia Council.

What was Russia’s response? In this Chamber, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin said the allegations that Russia was going to attack Ukraine were “baseless.”

Four days later, President Putin signed a decree recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent entities, which tore up the Minsk Agreements. Three days after that, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bringing suffering to people in all areas of Ukraine and trampling on the UN Charter.

Almost one year on, that invasion continues, with no sign that Russia intends to bring it to an end.

If Russia is committed to agreements it freely signed up to, why did it unilaterally attempt to annex Ukrainian territory in violation of those commitments?

So, President, I will tell you what lessons we have learned:

Russia lied when we warned of its intention to attack Ukraine.

Russia was planning for war while we called for diplomacy and deescalation, and Russia continues to choose death and destruction while the world calls for a just peace.

In short, Russia is yet again feigning an interest in peace while seeking to justify its ongoing military action against Ukraine.

So President, we yet again call on Russia to end its illegal invasion, withdraw from Ukraine and return in good faith to the negotiations aimed at establishing a just, and sustainable peace based on the principles of the UN Charter.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 February 2023.

Ms Fern Horine has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

Ms Fern Horine has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova in succession to Mr Steven Fisher, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Horine will take up her appointment during October 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Fern Marion Horine

Married to: David Letteney

Dates	Role
2021 to 2022	FCDO, Deputy Head, Transformation and Operations
2017 to 2021	FCDO, Deputy Head, Gender Equality Unit and Special Envoy Chief of Staff
2013 to 2017	Toronto, Deputy Consul General and Director Trade Canada
2011 to 2013	FCO, Human Resources Business Partner for Director General Defence and Intelligence
2007 to 2011	FCO, Deputy Head, Drugs and International Crime Department
2003 to 2007	Strasbourg, Second Secretary Political and United Kingdom Deputy Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe
2000 to 2002	Baku, Second Secretary, Political and Economic
1998 to 2000	Secondment to UK Trade Partners
1995 to 1998	FCO, Desk Officer Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador
1993 to 1995	Floater, Latin America and the Caribbean
1990 to 1992	Vienna, Attaché to UK Delegation to the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe
1987 to 1989	FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, Personnel Services Department
1987	Joined the FCO

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 February 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown commends UNHCR’s work during this unprecedented year of humanitarian need, including in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Chair. On behalf of the United Kingdom, I would like to welcome Ms Gillian Triggs to the Permanent Council. Thank you for your insightful presentation. It is clear that the scale of the challenge is enormous. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been an invaluable and steadfast partner during this unprecedented year of humanitarian need – on Ukraine, Afghanistan and most recently to respond to the devastating earthquakes across Türkiye and Syria.

I commend the leadership shown by UNHCR’s High Commissioner Filippo Grandi in supporting Ukraine. We have heard today of the sheer scale of the humanitarian need – but it bears repeating and digesting. During High Commissioner Grandi’s most recent visit to Ukraine he spoke of entire lives uprooted by senseless attacks on civilian infrastructure from power plants to water systems, even kindergartens damaged and destroyed. He spoke of children killed or being forced to flee their homes. Russia’s attacks overnight will have exacerbated the situation.

Russia’s illegal and barbaric invasion has sparked the largest forced displacement of people in Europe since WWII. The majority of refugees are women and children. Russia’s actions have left over 21.8 million people in humanitarian need – the numbers are almost unfathomable. Time and again, we see the devastating impacts of war borne by women and children, with an alarming increase in reports of all forms of gender-based violence. Despite clear codes of conduct we witness sexual violence being used as a weapon of war. ODIHR’s last report on IHL violations in Ukraine recalled accounts of sexual violence – rape of a group of women, attempted rape, forced nudity, threats of rape by members of the Russian armed forces during occupation in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. We know that sexual violence can be seen as taboo. We know it is underreported and that survivors may refrain from speaking out due to trauma and fear of stigmatization. The protection work of UNHCR including the mobile services to support vulnerable communities in hard to reach areas is critical to supporting survivors to access the help they need.

Russia has flagrantly ignored almost all of its OSCE commitments under the Helsinki Final Act and under the human dimension. Calls to stop its military offensive and end the assault on innocent civilians go unheeded. We remain resolved to support Ukraine and its people. The UK’s humanitarian support has helped the response to reach over 13 million people. UK funding to UNHCR has helped over 4 million people fleeing the conflict, including with multi purpose cash assistance for nearly 1 million people. In June, the UK will co-host with Ukraine the Ukraine Recovery Conference to stimulate economic investment into Ukraine and build a better future for the Ukrainian people.

When faced with immediate and overwhelming humanitarian need at such scale we can mistakenly forget the importance of tackling the actual drivers of insecurity and displacement. In this case, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. I commend the work of the OSCE’s autonomous institutions and their use of the OSCE toolbox to ensure prevention remains at the forefront of our minds and our work to help prevent further war in Europe.

Thank you Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 February 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown says that the UK, together with partners, will accelerate efforts to ensure Ukraine wins the war and secures a just and lasting peace.

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

This time last year, Russia had assembled a military force of over 130,000 troops and a massive accumulation of weaponry and equipment along Ukraine’s borders and in illegally annexed Crimea, preparing to invade its sovereign neighbour. Since then, Russia has committed atrocity upon atrocity: indiscriminate strikes on civilian areas and critical infrastructure; human rights abuses, childhoods stolen; sexual violence and abuse; “filtration centres”; attempted illegal annexations. Most recently this morning we woke up to reports of missile strikes in central, Western and northern Ukraine. Throughout, the United Kingdom has stood firmly with the Ukrainian people as they resist this brutal and unprovoked invasion. Our enduring commitment to Ukraine was exemplified during President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK last week. My statement today will focus on this support to Ukraine.

As Ukrainians enter their second year living under relentless and full-scale bombardment, the UK, together with partners, will accelerate our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins the war and secures a just and lasting peace.

Firstly, on the battlefield, the UK is proud to be the largest European supplier of military aid to Ukraine, with support of £2.3 billion in 2022. As announced last week, the UK will be expanding our training for Ukraine’s Armed Forces to include fighter jet pilots and marines.

Secondly, we will support a better future for Ukraine. In the short-term, the UK has pledged £1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support, which has funded the delivery of more than 11 million medical items. In June, we will co-host with Ukraine the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. And we will continue to pursue justice and accountability initiatives to ensure those responsible are held to account.

Thirdly, we will continue to defend the values of the international system that Russia is shattering with no remorse, including the Helsinki Final Act principles which are the cornerstone of this organisation.

Mr Chair, next week we will mark one year since the start of this unnecessary and horrific war. A day we hoped would never come. President Putin himself did not calculate the war would last this long. He believed his forces would be welcomed with open arms, that Ukrainians would not fight, and that the West would get tired, bored, and fragmented. He has been proved wrong on all counts. Putin has backed himself into a corner with strategic error after strategic error. The path to peace is clear: Putin must unconditionally withdraw all Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine. Russia must pay for the damage it has inflicted. And those individuals responsible must be held to account. Russia will not succeed. The international community is united, and the United Kingdom will not tire. Ukraine will prevail and see a brighter future.