Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 August 2022.

Thank you President, and thank you to Director-General Grossi for briefing us once again on the situation in Ukraine.

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the ongoing impacts of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and, in the context of today’s meeting, its effects on nuclear safety.

The Council discussed Russia’s reckless actions at the Ukrainian nuclear facilities, including the Chernobyl nuclear site and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the start of the invasion.

On 3 March, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution calling for Russia to cease all actions against and at all nuclear facilities in Ukraine, so that the competent Ukrainian authorities could regain full control and ensure their safe and secure operation, and the IAEA could resume their important safeguards verification activities.

Now, over five months later, Russia’s control of the Zaporizhzhia Plant continues. The competent Ukrainian authorities and IAEA inspectors are still prevented from properly carrying out their essential duties.

As IAEA Director General Grossi has said, Russia’s actions have violated almost all of his seven pillars of nuclear safety and security. Russia’s actions are contrary to the principles of the Convention of Nuclear Safety and other international nuclear safety conventions, and put at jeopardy the safety of millions who would be affected by a nuclear incident in Ukraine.

In light of this, and despite Russia’s continued lies and obfuscation in this chamber about its brutal and irresponsible assault on Ukraine, we should be clear. It is Russia’s continued invasion and military presence that is putting the plant at risk and thereby endangering the local population, the wider region and the entire international community.

President,

We welcome Director General Grossi’s efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine in challenging circumstances, and the tireless, heroic efforts of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities staff, despite the immense pressure they are under.

We reiterate our call for IAEA inspectors to be permitted access to all nuclear facilities in Ukraine to address nuclear safety, security and safeguard concerns, in a manner that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty over its territory and infrastructure.

In this regard, we note with appreciation Foreign Minister Kuleba’s letter to Mr Grossi and the Secretary-General on this issue.

And we once again call on Russia immediately to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, and return full control of all Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to their rightful sovereign owner to ensure their safe and secure operation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 August 2022.

The Foreign Secretary instructed Sir Tim Barrow, Second Permanent Under-Secretary for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, to summon China’s Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang. He was summoned over Beijing’s aggressive and wide-ranging escalation against Taiwan over the last week, in response to Speaker Pelosi’s visit on 2 August.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

“The UK and partners have condemned in the strongest terms China’s escalation in the region around Taiwan, as seen through our recent G7 statement.

I instructed officials to summon the Chinese Ambassador to explain his country’s actions. We have seen increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region. The United Kingdom urges China to resolve any differences by peaceful means, without the threat or use of force or coercion.”

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 August 2022.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva, Simon Manley, spoke on a variety of agenda items at the WTO General Council 25-26 July 2022.

General Item

First of all, as I wasn’t here on 7th July, let me say a formal congratulations to the DG, Secretariat and Kazakhstan as Chair who played such a vital role at the Ministerial Conference. It was a remarkable result for this organisation and for the trading system, but also for multilateralism, at a time when people have questioned whether multilateralism can stand up to the challenges of those who question the rules-based system.

Let me pick up three small points; the first is about implementation. Let me welcome the work that you Chair and the secretariat are doing to set out how it is we are going to implement the outcomes of MC12 and I think that is a really important piece of work to keep us focused on implementation. And let me, like others, flag two particular areas, one of which is the ratification of the fisheries agreement which after all, is a ground-breaking agreement for this organisation, our first environmental agreement and one of upmost importance to the world’s fisheries and to communities that rely upon them. I agree with others that say we need press on with the work to build on that agreement, at the same time as you work to ratify what we have achieved, but also I would like to echo the Singaporean Ambassador’s words on e-commerce. It was vital that we renewed that moratorium. It is vital that we keep our eyes on why that moratorium is so important to businesses across the world, developed, developing, micro-businesses as well as the largest businesses in the global economy. It is an enabler of digital growth across the global economy and one we need to sustain as we move forward.

Second point is about learning lessons from MC12. It was a success but we can do better and we must do better at MC13. Brazil has offered some really helpful suggestions in terms of addressing the frequency of our Ministerial meetings and we warmly welcome those proposals, but they’re not enough, they’re not enough. But we can and must do better, both in de-dramatising Ministerials but also to prepare better for them. Also to look at our working methods, to ensure that they meet the needs of the organisation of the 2020s.

Third on the substance. Others have already praised those who are departing our shores and welcomed those who are arriving in Geneva. I think the comments this morning remind us of what we are losing in this organisation. Their comments are absolutely on the spot of the substance of the issues that are facing us. And while we are right to congratulate ourselves of what we achieved at MC12, we must also be cognisant of what we did not manage to achieve at MC12 , whether that be in agriculture, or in terms of services, digital trade, or green goods and services. As we look outside this room at the challenges we face with climate change, the Horn of Africa facing famine as a result of years of drought. As we face the challenges that have been posed to the global economy by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we need to keep our eyes on that bigger prize, of how this organisation. How global trade and the rules that we set enable the green transition and the transition to net-zero. How we can build respect for multilateral rules and the rules based order and we can ensure that the green transition delvers for everybody. Developed and developing, micro-businesses and bigger businesses for our workers, for our consumers, for our societies and our planet. In our effort to implement MC12, we must not lose sight of that bigger picture of how global trade can contribute to those wider common goals, thank you.

TRIPS Council Matters

First of all, let me start by thanking the Chair, the DG and others involved for delivering the WTO’s response to the pandemic including the TRIPS Decision at MC12. That outcome was clearly important in demonstrating how trade can contribute to the response to the pandemic – it was an important outcome both substantively and for the credibility of the WTO.

As others have said today, the pandemic is clearly not over, and significant issues remain with vaccine equity and access.

The UK remains absolutely committed to addressing vaccine inequity and believes that the WTO is pivotal to help find solutions to address the current challenges we face, like manufacturing constraints and supply chain issues, including export restrictions and tariff barriers on COVID-19 critical products.

We have always maintained that IP is part of the response to the pandemic. We are focused on how the IP framework can continue being used to address real issues we are now seeing as the pandemic evolves.

I recall in that context the comments made on Friday by the Chief Executive of GAVI Seth Berkley, that we are now living in “a world of vaccine abundance” in which they are having to work with pharmaceutical companies to minimise wastage in the system. So we need to keep an eye on what is happening in the real world and not how we perceived the situation to be a year or two years ago.

The UK will continue to engage constructively and in good faith on discussions regarding an extension to therapeutics and diagnostics.

The appropriate forum for these discussions is the TRIPS Council. The UK’s view on this issue and next steps is on the record from the last TRIPS Council, so I won’t repeat it here.

We will be focused on doing our homework over the summer to ensure we can have an evidence-based and informed discussion we resume in September. And I hope that other members of this organisations do the same.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Graduation

We continue very much to celebrate LDC Graduation; it is a cause for celebration when a country graduates from that status.

But we do recognise – like others here – the challenges that LDCs face when graduating. And that’s one reason why we will continue to provide a transition period and even more generous preferences on the eagerly awaited Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which we will be unveiling with great fanfare later this year.

And we share some of the frustration in this room in thinking that we probably could have achieved an outcome on this issue at MC12. We, for our part, tried to play our bit to try and establish common ground with other delegations. And we thank the Republic of Korea, amongst others, for their efforts to do the same.

So we thank the LDC Group for their flexibility, and for approaching these discussions in a spirit of compromise. Flexibility, openness, proactive compromises are going to be required from all of us if we are to reach a successful conclusion to this issue.

So we remain committed to working with other delegations here to help LDCs, and LDC Graduates, to integrate further into the multilateral trading system, and to enjoy the fruits of economic growth that flow from that.

Thank you very much.

Improved Notifications Compliance Proposal

Please allow me to say what has already been said, but let me just reiterate it. First of all we thank the work by the United States and the cosponsors, we thank them for the way they have engaged with other delegations on this. Transparency is an essential part of this organisation’s work, we do it well, but we could do it better. That is what this proposal is all about, making our existing work better without new obligations but with some new incentives. Just as we came together at MC12, to find agreement on some issues on which different delegations had different concerns, I hope we can come together on this proposal, find consensus and improve the work of our organisation to the benefit of all Members, thank you.

Reform Proposal

It’s clear that if you listen to this debate that we all want to see this organisation reformed, but we’ve all got very different ideas of what reform means, so I take due note of what is in this communication and the comments made by colleagues in this hall this morning. I think we ought to be aware that different Members have different views, different visions, and as we resume this work back in September under your guidance, your consultations, we need to find ways to find common ground as we did again, at the Ministerial, and not assume that any one vision can answer the needs of the organisation as a whole.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 August 2022.

On the second anniversary of the fraudulent Presidential election in Belarus, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Rehman Chishti said:

“Over the last two years, Lukashenko has led a campaign of repression against his own people. There are now almost 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus. The authorities have tried to silence independent media and civil society.

We support the democratic aspirations and human rights of the people of Belarus. We urge the authorities to abide by international law, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and permit those in exile to return home without fear of arrest or repression. We also condemn Lukashenko’s support for, and complicity in, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We will hold Belarusian authorities accountable for their actions.

This includes through sanctions. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have designated over 50 Belarusian individuals and organisations who are aiding Russia’s reckless aggression towards Ukraine. Furthermore, the legislation we laid in Parliament on 4 July extends recent Russia sanctions to Belarus by introducing new financial, trade and transport measures. These are in addition to the 117 designations we had already made in response to the fraudulent election and subsequent human rights violations.

There must be free and fair elections; the people of Belarus should be able to enjoy the democratic right to decide their future.”

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 August 2022.

Statement by Alice Jacobs, UK Deputy Political Coordinator at the UN, at the Security Council briefing on counter-terrorism.

President,

I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov, Acting Executive Director Chen and Martin Ewi for their informative briefings.

We remain indebted to the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team, UNOCT and CTED for their important work in analysing the ever-changing terrorist threat.

We heard today how Daesh continues to pose a significant threat to global stability. Counter-terrorism pressure has constrained the group over the last few years, but gains are vulnerable and uneven, with the group still able to expand in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, as Mr Ewi has outlined today.

Recent events in Afghanistan have demonstrated the very real security challenges we face. Daesh Khorasan continue to target innocent Afghans, particularly minority communities, while Al Qaeda has caused the suffering of thousands. We all have a shared interest in using every lever at our disposal to counter Al Qa’eda, Daesh and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Despite its territorial defeat and recent successful operations against its leadership, Daesh remain a serious threat in Iraq and Syria, its strategic heartland. This demonstrates the continuing importance of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh, and the need to work together to ensure Daesh’s lasting, global defeat. The UK hosts the Global Coalition’s Counter Daesh Communications Cell that is tackling Daesh’s propaganda and its destructive and hateful messages.

In the month we commemorated the 8th anniversary of Daesh’s crimes against the Yazidi community, the UK also underlines its support for UNITAD and international efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of Daesh violence.

President, we continue to support the fight against Daesh as it expands to new theatres.

As we heard today, Daesh’s African affiliates continue to grow and account for an ever-increasing proportion of Daesh-claimed violence. Interconnectivity between branches also represents a worrying trend and amplifies the threat they pose, including to neighbouring countries. Daesh is opportunistic and will continue to take advantage of pre-existing grievances, and target those most susceptible to joining their cause: the young, the marginalised, the disenfranchised.

Hard security interventions will therefore only take us so far. We must work to build resilience within communities, in partnership with civil society, against terrorist propaganda and other influencing efforts.

And finally, when countering terrorism, we must all ensure that we protect and promote human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law through a gender sensitive approach if our collective efforts are to be truly effective.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office by 8 August 2022.

Thank you President, and my thanks go to the representatives from the UAE and others who called this important Council session.

The United Kingdom joins fellow Council Members in welcoming the ceasefire in Gaza announced last night. We express our thanks to Egypt, Qatar and the office of UN Special Coordinator, Tor Wennesland, for their mediation efforts. We now urge all parties to do their utmost to ensure the ceasefire is durable and prevents further violence.

These last few days we have once again seen tragic scenes in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We strongly condemn the firing of over 1,100 rockets at civilians by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the ongoing campaign of terror attacks by the group, which has resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike.

As my Foreign Secretary has been clear, the UK stands by Israel and its right to defend itself in the face of such terrorism and violence.

The United Kingdom expresses its deepest condolences to the families of innocent Palestinian civilians killed over the past three days, particularly the tragic deaths of children. The UK supports a timely and thorough investigation into all of these reports. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the cycle of violence, have taken too many lives.

We remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including lack of movement and access, damage to civilian infrastructure, and critical supplies, such as fuel for power plants to supply electricity, including for hospitals. We welcome Israel’s announcement that it is allowing humanitarian aid through to Gaza. Immediate access for humanitarian relief is essential, and we expect that the ceasefire agreement will now allow for prompt restoration of movement and access for people and goods via the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings.

This escalation is yet another reminder of the urgent need for progress towards a Two State solution that ensures a safe and secure Israel, living alongside a Palestinian state based on 1967 lines, with Jerusalem the shared capital of both states.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 August 2022.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council open debate on peace and security in Africa.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 August 2022.

Minister for Asia, Amanda Milling has visited Cambodia this week and announced a milestone agreement on a range of issues with influential countries in Southeast Asia.

The new Plan of Action will deepen cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security – including maritime security and cyber – as well as climate change, girls’ education, digital and science and technology.

As part of the agreement, the UK will scale-up development and security links in Southeast Asia, opening a regional British International Investment (BII) office in Singapore later this year to invest up to £500 million in the Indo-Pacific. The UK is also offering training for countries in the region on security issues and maritime law, including from the Royal Navy.

This week Cambodia is hosting foreign ministers and representatives from ASEAN countries – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Minister for Asia Amanda Milling said:

The UK continues to deepen our economic ties and strengthen our security partnerships with these fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

Practical measures including opening a new BII office in Singapore to boost investment and providing training on security and maritime law demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the region and increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Minister Milling co-chaired the ASEAN-UK Post-Ministerial Conference today (4 August), the first since the UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner. The UK’s Dialogue Partner status, the first ASEAN has agreed to in 25 years, was formalised in August 2021 and an important part to the UK’s tilt towards the Indo-Pacific.

Closer ties with the Southeast Asia bloc will help create green jobs, reinforce our security cooperation, promote tech and science partnerships, and safeguard key pillars of international law like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Minister also announced that InfraCo Asia, which the UK supports through its funding to the Private Infrastructure Development Group, is providing a $2.3 million loan to support the development of Cambodia’s water supply network.

During the meeting, Minister Milling made clear that Russia’s unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against the sovereign democratic state of Ukraine remains in the hearts of the British people and the UK stands united with international partners in condemning the Russian government’s reprehensible actions.

On Myanmar, Minister Milling strongly condemned the recent appalling and barbaric executions of pro-democracy activists by the Myanmar junta. She reiterated the UK continues to support ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus on Myanmar and the urgent need for an immediate end to the violence and for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Since becoming Dialogue Partner, the UK invited ASEAN to be represented at the G7 Foreign Ministers last December and during the global COVID-19 pandemic, donated 4.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN members and contributed £1 million to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.

The UK also recently signed an MoU with the Asian Development Bank to support ASEAN states to invest in green infrastructure through a £107 million trust fund to support the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 August 2022.

Mr Jon Dean has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Chad in succession to Mr Mark Matthews who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Dean will take up his appointment at the beginning of September 2022.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Jon Mark Dean

Year	Role
2020 to 2021	New York, Head of Corporate Services
2018 to 2020	United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Secondment, New York
2014 to 2018	FCO, Head of Iraq Team, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
2013 to 2014	Juba, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul
2013	Yaoundé, Deputy High Commissioner and Consul (3 months)
2012	New York, UK Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Second Secretary Political (3 months)
2009 to 2012	Brasília, Second Secretary Political
2007 to 2008	FCO, Desk Officer, Kosovo
2005 to 2006	FCO, Desk Officer, EU Environment Policy
2005	Joined the FCO
2002 to 2004	PricewaterhouseCoopers, Systems Assurance Associate
2001 to 2002	Oxford University, Master of Science
1999 to 2001	International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome, Participatory Impact Assessment Consultant

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 August 2022.

UK announces new diplomatic presence in Western Australia to accelerate trade and investment with the region

Comes after the UK doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Islands

Visit will also underline the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific in light of the brutal invasion of Ukraine

The UK will boost diplomatic and trade ties in the Indo-Pacific as the UK Minister of Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling, today embarks on a regional tour of Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu.

As part of the visit, Minister Milling is announcing plans to re-establish the diplomatic post of Consul General in Perth, Western Australia after nearly 20 years.

Western Australia is Australia’s largest state accounting for 16% of Australia’s GDP and hosts the highest percentage of British people of any state in the country, with 8.9% of the population born in the UK and 42% having British ancestry.

The new Consul General will be supported by the existing team of eight staff in Perth. Their roles cover trade, investment, consular and Scottish Development International.

The new post emphasizes the UK’s commitment to Australia and the deepening trade and investment ties between the two countries following the Free Trade Agreement.

During the past three years the UK has doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Island Countries to six – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu – underlining the importance of the Indo-Pacific to our economy, security and ambition to build a network of liberty as set out in the UK’s Integrated Review.

Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling said:

We may be geographically far apart, but when it comes to our shared values, history, economic and security ties, the UK’s partnerships with Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu could hardly be closer.

Testament to that closeness is the UK’s decision to strengthen our diplomatic footprint, re-establishing the diplomatic post of Consul General in Perth that I am delighted to announce today.

While in Australia, Minister Milling will visit Perth and Melbourne, holding meetings with representatives from the State and Federal Governments, business and industry leaders as well as representatives of the Indigenous community.

In Vanuatu, the Minister will meet President Nikenike Vurobaravu and Acting Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, as well as formally opening the British High Commission in Port Vila.

Finally, in New Zealand, she will visit Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington, delivering a speech at the High Commission on the importance of UK’s relationship with New Zealand alongside meetings with a number of representatives from across Government, business and Māori.

She will also be accompanied on many of her engagements by the UK’s new High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor of the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Ms Iona Thomas OBE, who presented her credentials in Wellington last week (3 August 2022).

British High Commissioner to Australia, H.E. Vicki Treadell, said:

The new diplomatic post in Perth after an almost 20 year gap recognises the importance of Western Australia to the UK. This is underlined by the fantastic work already being delivered by our Head of Perth Office and the Consulate team there on our shared focus on economic security and the clean energy transition, as well as our support for the large number of Brits in WA.

The Minister’s visit follows an intensive period of engagement for the UK with its partners in the Pacific. In 2022, that includes visits to Australia by the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC. COP26 President Alok Sharma also visited Australia, Fiji and New Zealand last month (July 2022).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also met Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, at the NATO Summit in Madrid and hosted New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, in London last month.

The Minister arrives in Australia from Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh where she represented the UK at ASEAN, a meeting of influential countries in Southeast Asia. She signed-off a new UK-ASEAN agreement for deeper cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security – including maritime security and cyber – as well as climate change, girls’ education, digital and science and technology.

As part of the agreement, the UK will scale-up development and security links in Southeast Asia, opening a regional British International Investment office in Singapore later this year to invest up to £500m in the Indo-Pacific. The UK is also offering training for countries in the region on security issues and maritime law, including from the Royal Navy.