Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

The Foreign Secretary announces further UK funding to tackle the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

• on day 2 of a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), the Foreign Secretary announces further UK funding to tackle the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza
• in meetings in Israel, Foreign Secretary pressed to open up greater access for lifesaving support including medical supplies and fuel
• as the fourth UK aircraft of humanitarian aid arrives in Egypt, the UK pledges £30 million additional aid funding for Gaza

Following a series of meetings with senior Israeli politicians on Thursday, the Foreign Secretary’s talks today will focus on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

He will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, including through training and capacity building, and look towards a long-term political solution to the crisis.

The Foreign Secretary will also meet aid agencies delivering UK-funded humanitarian support in Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary has announced that the UK will provide a further £30 million in humanitarian aid which will support trusted partners, including UN agencies on the ground, to deliver lifesaving aid to people in Gaza. It brings to £60 million the additional aid announced by the UK for Palestinian civilians since the crisis started in October.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

We are hopeful that today will see the release of hostages, and I am urging all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage. A pause will also allow access for life-saving aid to the people of Gaza.

I am proud that a fourth UK flight carrying critical supplies landed in Egypt today, and I can announce new £30 million of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions.

It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.

Today’s additional funding comes as the fourth UK aircraft carrying humanitarian aid landed in Al Arish, Egypt, for onward transfer to Gaza. The RAF flight carried 23 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including 4,500 blankets and 4,500 sleeping mats for distribution by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

The RAF continues to deliver on the UK’s commitment to helping those in need by operating flights into the region to provide urgent humanitarian support which will save civilian lives.

The UK is driving international efforts to support the humanitarian response in Gaza, working closely alongside partners and allies to de-escalate the situation.

During his visit, the Foreign Secretary continued to urge all parties to make progress on the agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to allow the release of a number of hostages and a pause in the fighting and ensure the agreement is adhered to in full.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

Russia has blocked discussions on conflict diamonds and Ukraine at the Kimberley Process Plenary in Zimbabwe.

At the most recent Kimberley Process Plenary meeting, held in Zimbabwe from 6 to 10 November 2023, Russia consistently used the rules around consensus to block attempts from Ukraine, the UK and others to discuss the implications of their full scale invasion of Ukraine on the Kimberley Process and its objective to delink conflict from diamonds.

Russia exports around 30% of the world’s rough diamonds and accrues a significant amount from the proceeds which are contributing to its illegal war effort in Ukraine.

Since the full-scale invasion, the UK and other Kimberley Process members have been pressing the Kimberley Process to discuss the issue and to work on expanding the definition of ‘conflict diamonds’.

In addition to having a substantive discussion on the issue blocked, Russia and other Kimberley Process participants then blocked the inclusion of a factual reference to the attempt to add the discussion to the agenda of the Plenary.  This resulted in the failure to issue a final communique.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

Despite many productive conversations at the Plenary, we are disappointed it was not possible to discuss the link between Russia’s proceeds of rough diamonds and the financing of Russia’s illegal, premeditated, and unprovoked war in Ukraine.

It is also regrettable that a final communique reflecting attempts to discuss this were blocked by Russia and a small number of participants. The Kimberley Process has achieved much since its creation and we remain committed to ensuring it continues to work towards eradicating the link between diamonds and conflict.

The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting the Kimberley Process in important initiatives such as establishing a Permanent Secretariat in Botswana; the Review and Reform cycle, and broadening the definition of ‘conflict diamonds’.  We will continue to actively contribute to the Kimberley Process while pressing for reform.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

The Royal Navy warship, HMS Spey, has made her inaugural visit to India following in the footsteps of sister vessel HMS Tamar. The Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel arrived in Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Berthed alongside Naval Component Command (NAVCC) Head Quarters on the outskirts of Port Blair, Royal Navy officials onboard Spey welcomed their Indian military counterparts for planning discussions.

Defence Advisor to India, Brigadier Nick Sawyer, hosted a discussion on maritime security challenges and priorities within the Bay of Bengal with Indian Navy Senior Officers, Chief of Staff Andaman and Nicobar Command, Rear Admiral Sandeep Sandhu and Cdre Sugreev.

Lt Cdr Bridget Macnae RN, HMS Spey’s Executive Officer (temporarily in Command) said:

“Frequent port visits and multilateral exercises between the Indian Navy and Royal Navy continue to support our ever-expanding relationship and operational interaction and cooperation. The UK and India firmly believe in, and promote the Rules Based International System; we share an interest in upholding international maritime law and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

UK’s Defence Advisor to India, Brigadier Nick Sawyer said:

“We deeply value our relationship with India in a shared endeavour to confront those who challenge the rules-based system and ensure peace and prosperity on and from the sea. The sixth visit of Royal Navy ship to India within a year is the clearest demonstration of that as well as the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt in action.”

At sea, HMS Spey hosted a number of Indian Navy service personnel onboard whilst the ship conducted a maritime manoeuvre exercise with an Indian Naval patrol vessel further developing operational interoperability between the two nations.

HMS Spey’s crew took the opportunity to explore the Islands rich culture and diversity, whilst also discovering incredible flora and fauna in the national park and swimming alongside rich marine life at many of the idyllic beaches and coves.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

The UK statement at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting, under agenda item 6: nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine.

Chair, given the late hour I start with an apology for speaking for more than 3 minutes but I must begin by responding to comments from the Russian Federation related to the use of depleted uranium in Ukraine.

Chair, the United Kingdom has used depleted uranium in its armour-piercing shells for decades. This is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or nuclear capabilities. Russia knows this perfectly well because Russia also uses depleted uranium based ammunition. I hope, Chair, that the Russian Ambassador is not deliberately trying to mislead the Board and I emphasise that the UK is in full compliance with its safeguards obligations in this regard.

Chair, the United Kingdom thanks the Director General for his comprehensive report on Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine and for the regular updates, the most recent of which was released earlier this week. These reports continue to provide the only independent source of information on the state of nuclear safety, security and safeguards at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which remains under illegal Russian control.

Chair, we heard a long intervention from the Russian Ambassador, challenging multiple paragraphs of the DG’s report before the Board today. However, we prefer to rely on the IAEA’s assessment, which in our view, paints a worrying picture of the deterioration of nuclear safety at the ZNPP.

There is currently no comprehensive, systematic maintenance programme. Overall levels of maintenance are significantly lower than before the conflict. As the report states, “reduced maintenance of safety systems might result in a higher failure rate of other systems and components irrespective of the plant’s shut down state, and might affect the safe operation of the plant.”

Although the report refers to a small increase in daily staffing levels during the reporting period, the total number of staff has reduced significantly since the start of the conflict and this impacts safety across the site, including in the main control rooms.

Russia continues to replace experienced Ukrainian staff with new Russian personnel, unfamiliar with the site and its procedures.

The report states that the staffing situation is “not sustainable and may have implications for nuclear safety and security.”

The Russian Ambassador disagreed with that assessment – that is his prerogative – but we prefer to believe the independent, expert assessment by the DG and his team.

Chair, in addition the report tells us that there is still no alternative steam source on site despite the regulatory order issued by the Ukrainian Regulator, SNRIU, on 8 June and repeated urging from the IAEA.

The IAEA team continues to struggle to secure adequate access, having to make advance requests and being “prevented from accessing critical areas for very long periods of time”.

This means the IAEA cannot make a clear assessment that the DG’s Five Concrete Principles are being observed at all times. For these reasons – and there are many more examples in the report – the situation at ZNPP should remain the Board’s most serious nuclear safety concern.

For these reasons, Russia’s seizure and continued control of ZNPP has been the focus of 3 Board of Governors resolutions and, most recently, a General Conference resolution, passed with cross regional support.

The Russian Ambassador talked about the number of votes in favour so I think it is important to remind colleagues that the resolution was adopted with only 6 votes against – an overwhelming majority in support. That resolution calls for the plant to be returned to the full control of the competent Ukrainian authorities and deals directly with matters of nuclear safety, security and safeguards, which have everything to do with this organisation’s mandate.

In stark contrast to the situation at the ZNPP, the DG’s report sets out the situation at Ukraine’s other nuclear plants – those that are under Ukrainian control: All nuclear safety and security systems at South Ukraine, Khmelnytskyy and Rivne NPPs continue to operate as designed and to be fully functional. The plants’ operating staff conduct regular operational testing and preventive maintenance of the systems.

No failures or challenges to their operation were reported. All 3 plants have sufficient qualified operating staff to ensure the safe and secure plant operation.

All of this has been achieved against a backdrop of frequent air-raid alarms; a powerful explosion close to the Khmelnytskyy NPP, which damaged the windows of several buildings at the site; and, with the onset of winter, the looming threat of renewed Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including power lines connected to the plants.

We recognise the heavy toll this takes on the Ukrainian operating staff and welcome the IAEA’s work, with Ukraine, to support the physical and mental welfare of staff.

Given the Russian Ambassador’s comments to this Board I will close with a reminder of the UN General Assembly Resolution adopted on 12 October 2022, which declared that, inter alia, the attempted illegal annexation of 4 regions of Ukraine on 4 October has no validity under international law.

With these remarks, the UK takes note of the report GOV/2023/59 and asks that it be made public.

Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 November 2023.

Ankur Narayan, UK Delegation to the OSCE, reiterates the UK’s unwavering support for the OSCE Mission and for a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting settlement to the Transnistrian conflict.

Thank you, Chair. Ambassador Keiderling, welcome back to the Council and thank you for your report.

Let me state at the outset that the United Kingdom’s resolute support for the OSCE Mission remains steadfast. The Mission’s critical efforts to monitor the Security Zone, facilitate ongoing 1+1 meetings and ensure access to justice for victims of human rights abuses are instrumental to securing the foundations of a lasting peace. The importance of freedom of movement of Mission members in order to effectively deliver these crucial functions is therefore paramount and must be safeguarded.

We agree with your assessment that the importance of ongoing talks between Chisinau and Tiraspol is now greater than ever, and thank the Mission for its facilitation of the 1+1 meetings. The tenth edition of the annual Donors Forum, which brought together civil society representatives from both sides, speaks to the value of direct dialogue in preventing escalation, reversing the deterioration of relations between Tiraspol and Chisinau and laying the groundwork toward a negotiated settlement. We call on both sides to build on this positive momentum and redouble their efforts to find common ground on the many shared issues affecting peoples on both sides of the Nistru.

The UK’s position is unchanged; we continue to support a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting settlement to the Transnistrian conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders, and with a special status for Transnistria. It is to this end that I reiterate our hope to see the Mission return to a 12-month mandate come December. A yearly mandate would grant the Mission the predictability, the certainty, and sustainability it needs to continue its good work and charter a course toward this objective amidst a challenging environment, made worse by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Ambassador, we are grateful for your unflinching focus on human rights in the region and commend the Mission’s efforts in promoting freedoms of media and expression, combatting human trafficking and addressing the scourge of gender-based violence. There is much still to be done however and we call on all member states to strengthen our commitment to the Mission to support it in fulfilling this crucial role.

Ambassador, at your last appearance at this Council in April, the UK reiterated our concern at the ongoing presence of Russian Forces on Moldovan sovereign territory, in contravention of international law. I repeat that concern today, noting that no progress has been made towards their immediate withdrawal. This too extends to the presence of hazardous material stored at Cobasna, where a considered and thorough proposal for the removal and demolition of the contents of the ammunition site must now be shared as a matter of urgency.

In closing, Ambassador, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and your team for your dedication to support peace and security on both banks of the Nistru. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 November 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland says the UK and its allies are committed to providing Ukraine with the needs to defend itself against Russia, highlighting the UK Foreign Secretary’s visit to Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Chair. 21 November marked 10 years since the Euromaidan, where Ukrainians stood up for their future as citizens of a sovereign, democratic and prosperous European state. Today, Ukraine continues to fight for its future and defend our shared values of freedom and self-determination.

The UK will continue to defend the values of the international system that Russia is shattering, including the Helsinki Final Act principles which are the cornerstone of this organisation.

For more than 630 days, Russia has carried out its unprovoked, premeditated, and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. Russia’s egregious actions infringe upon the very principles of the OSCE, and the OSCE’s wide-ranging agenda. Today’s Permanent Council is no exception. We will discuss the silencing of journalists and dissenting voices in Russia and the temporarily Russian-controlled territories. We will also discuss violence against women and girls, Russia’s full-scale invasion brings with it devastating reports of conflict-related sexual violence against Ukrainian women and girls.

Last week, my Foreign Secretary visited Kyiv. He visited Odesa and saw Ukraine’s progress in pushing back Russian forces. He also announced £10 million for Ukraine’s Red Cross Society appeal to provide medical supplies to communities impacted by Russia’s aggression.

The UK and our allies are committed to providing Ukraine with the needs to defend itself as it fights for survival and territorial integrity. This is the swiftest, and only path to a just and sustainable peace based on the UN Charter, where Ukraine can pursue its ambitions as a sovereign nation. We will stand by Ukraine for however long it takes, and Ukraine will prevail. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 November 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland recalls the vital contribution of media freedom to security in the OSCE region, and calls on Russia and Belarus to live up to their OSCE commitments.

Thank you Chair, and welcome back to the Permanent Council Madam Ribeiro. Thank you for your report.

We firmly believe that media freedom remains a vital component of our shared security.  It underpins democratic institutions and is fundamental to the protection of individual human rights. Conversely, disinformation leads to polarisation and makes societies around the world less secure.

We remain a strong supporter of your mandate and commend your personal commitment to ensuring resolute action at a time of increasing challenges. The UK has a long history of defending media freedom and holding those who abuse or restrict it to account. We founded the Media Freedom Coalition together with Canada in 2019. We know that securing media freedom requires continued investment and effort in all participating States.  Our International Development White Paper, published just this week, repeats our commitment to the principle of media freedom.

We were pleased to welcome you to the UK during your visit in October 2023. This was an important opportunity to take stock of progress on our recently updated National Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists, to discuss new UK legislation on online safety and to curb the chilling effect of Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation on pluralism and media freedom.

We look forward to continued co-operation, including sharing the UK’s experience of media regulation in a dynamic online environment.

Mr Chair, the wider picture for media freedom remains dismal. As you note in your report, Madam Ribeiro, journalists and other media workers face torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, intimidation and harassment in many parts of the OSCE region.

Moreover, and too often, states have criminalised journalism itself. At least 14 journalists have been killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to persecute dissenting voices in Ukrainian territory under its temporary control, as it has been doing in Crimea since 2014.

This year’s Moscow Mechanism report found that freedom of expression in Belarus has been grievously undermined. Legislation can target any independent voice, particularly critics of government or of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Anyone who administers social media networks or communication channels for listed so-called “extremists” can face serious charges, even of terrorism.

Such actions are not compatible with participating States’ obligations under international law and their OSCE commitments. The UK once again calls on Russia and Belarus to live up to their OSCE principles and commitments, to enable freedom for the media to report on matters of public interest without undue interference, threats and intimidation.

In closing, I would again like to thank you again Theresa for your commitment to your mandate and your professionalism in the defence of media freedom. The UK will continue to reiterate in this Council and beyond the importance of free media for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law.