Tag: Press Release

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

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

President, let me begin by wishing a happy Independence Day to all Ukrainians. In 1991, Ukraine declared independence from the former USSR, with 92% of the country voting in favour in a national referendum.

Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign country was recognised by the United Nations, including the Russian Federation.

If Russia’s illegal invasion last year had succeeded there would be one fewer independent UN State today.

Ukrainians’ heroic resistance in the face of Russian aggression not only protects their freedom, but defends the United Nations Charter, with its basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

If Russia wins this war, it would give the green-light to a new era of international aggression where big countries can rewrite borders by force. None of us wants that.

We are deeply indebted to the Ukrainian people for their immense sacrifice. And we are proud to stand with them.

As we mark Ukraine’s independence, we reflect on Russia’s deliberate efforts to target Ukraine’s future – its children.

The United Nations has reported Russia is committing grave violations against children in its war of aggression – the first time a permanent Council member has ever been listed for doing so.

As well as killing children directly, and destroying their homes, their schools, their hospitals; the Ukrainian authorities report that Russia has, to date, forcibly transferred or deported over 19,000 children since 2022. President Putin, and his Children’s Rights Commissioner, are the subject of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for their alleged role.

For Ukrainian families, these forced transfers and deportations have devastating and life changing consequences that will be felt for generations. Russia uses fear of this tactic to suppress dissent among Ukrainians living under temporary Russian control. It is also a deliberate attempt to erase Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood.

Russia has not attempted to preserve the identities of the children it has forcibly deported, as required by international humanitarian law. Rather, there is growing evidence that Russia has seriously violated this right, forcing children to assimilate with the culture of the state that is seeking to destroy their own country.

President, Russia also has a clear legal obligation under the fourth Geneva Convention to facilitate communication and reunification between children and their relatives or legal guardians.

Russia has failed to provide reliable information about the children it has transferred to its territory, particularly to those children placed with Russian foster families.

As OHCHR reported, children themselves have often been forced to trace and find parents or family members. This is an unacceptable burden to place on children, especially those dealing with the trauma of Russia’s illegal invasion.

Just 386 children have so far been returned. We thank representatives from Save Ukraine for their vital work on these returns.

We call on Russia to respect Ukrainian independence, return its children, withdraw its troops and end this war.

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

Following a launch using ballistic missile technology by North Korea on 24 August 2023, G7 Foreign Ministers gave a joint statement.

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest terms North Korea’s launch using ballistic missile technology conducted on August 24, 2023. This launch is a clear, flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) and poses a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability.

Despite the repeated calls from the international community, North Korea continues to intensify its escalatory actions through a record number of ballistic missile launches, which only attest to its determination to advance and diversify its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. We once again reiterate our demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner and fully comply with all obligations under the relevant UNSCRs. North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

North Korea’s reckless action must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response, particularly by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The frequency of North Korea’s repeated blatant violations of UNSCRs juxtaposed with the UNSC’s corresponding inaction because of some members’ obstruction is cause for significant alarm. We urge the UNSC Members to follow through on their commitments. We call on North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea without preconditions.

We deplore North Korea’s choice to divert its limited resources to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, thereby aggravating the suffering of the people in North Korea and contributing to human rights violations and abuses.

The G7 remains committed to working with all relevant partners toward the goal of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to upholding the international order based on the rule of law.

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

Diplomats visited the Palestinian community of Burqa and the site of the recently displaced community of Ras at-Tin amid accelerating rates of settler violence.

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

In marking the 32nd anniversary of the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence, Ambassador Holland honours the strength, fortitude, and identity of the Ukrainian people.

Thank you, Mr Chair and thank you for convening us today. As we mark the 32nd anniversary of the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence, in doing so we honour the strength, resilience and identity of the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian unity, and the unity of the international community in supporting Ukraine, has never been stronger.

Since we last met, Russia has continued to bombard civilians and civilian infrastructure. This includes, as my Ukrainian colleague has stated, the sickening attack on Chernihiv earlier this week, which killed seven and wounded over a hundred people. These victims were walking in the main square, going to the theatre, or returning from church. Once again, Russia has killed and wounded Ukrainian civilians who were simply going about their lives. These despicable attacks only strengthen our collective resolve and further damage Russia’s global standing.

Mr Chair, 18 months ago today, when President Putin launched his full-scale invasion, he believed he would overwhelm Ukraine within days. He completely miscalculated. The resilience of the Ukrainian people, the skill and determination of their Armed Forces, and the world’s commitment to Ukraine’s independence, mean that his illegal and unprovoked invasion is doomed to fail.

Ukraine is not just fighting for its own future, but for the defence of the principles underpinned by international law, namely the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all states: principles we have agreed as members of the OSCE. We must never let countries attempt to redraw borders by force. Yesterday, guided by that collective belief, many of our countries gathered at the summit of the International Crimea Platform.

We now know that Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea was the direct precursor to Russia’s full scale illegal invasion in 2022. Crimea became a critical staging ground and springboard for Russia’s attacks on the rest of Ukraine, and has allowed Russia to disrupt and destabilise the region through its militarisation of the Black Sea. Crimea lies at the heart of many of the challenges we are facing, so it is only right that Crimea also be at the heart of ongoing discussions on how to counter Russia’s aggression and reach a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.

Civilians in Crimea, particularly Crimean Tatars, have suffered terribly from Russian aggression, enduring a brutal and systematic campaign of human rights abuses and violations. And, just as we predicted at last year’s Crimea Platform Summit, Putin has followed his Crimea playbook of sham referendums, repression, and re-education in other areas of Ukraine.

The contrast is stark. Where Ukraine offers freedom, Putin’s regime imposes subjugation. Where Ukraine offers democracy, Russia inflicts tyranny. And while Ukraine works to protect human rights, Russia is systematically violating them. We will continue to use every lever we have – military, humanitarian, economic, diplomatic – to support the Ukrainian people in the face of this assault, and to ensure that Ukraine succeeds. As my Foreign Secretary said in his address to the Crimea Platform Summit, “the UK and the international community will never recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea or any Ukrainian territory, and will stand with you for as long as it takes”.

I would like to end by reiterating the UK’s support and admiration to the Ukrainian people on their Independence Day. In the shadow of the last terrible 18 months, never has your resilience, your strength and your identity been more apparent than it is today. We stand with you and will continue to stand with you, as you fight to protect your democracy, your rights, your values and your sovereignty.