Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 February 2023.

The UK is committing a further package of support to address urgent humanitarian needs in Turkey and Syria.

As the situation on the ground moves into in a new phase, from rescue to recovery, the UK is committing a further package of support to address urgent humanitarian needs in Turkey and Syria.

The £25 million in new overseas aid will fund additional emergency relief, such as tents and blankets for families made homeless in freezing conditions, and the ongoing deployment of world-class UK medical expertise through the joint MoD–FCDO Field Hospital established in Turkoglu.

It will support the work of the UN and aid agencies on the ground in Syria, helping communities ravaged by war and this national disaster, as well as the recovery effort in Turkey led by the government. There will be a particular focus on protecting women and girls, including by helping with childbirth and midwifery and reducing the risk of gender-based violence for communities who have been displaced.

This builds on the UK’s early response to the earthquake when we deployed a UK International Search and Rescue Team in Turkey, increased support to the White Helmets in north west Syria and rapidly delivered shipments of life-saving items such as emergency shelter, medical equipment and blankets.

The joint MoD–FCDO Field Hospital, which includes an emergency department, 24/7 operating theatre and accompanying medical staff, is providing lifesaving medical care working side-by-side with Turkish medics.

UK funding is helping the UN, International and NGO partners to ensure that aid reaches the millions in need, including 4.9 million who need cross-border aid in north west Syria following the devastating earthquakes.

UK Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell said:

As this evolving situation transitions from rescue to recovery, we are seeing thousands of families left homeless by the earthquake, packed into crowded tents or lined up in the streets queuing for hot meals.

The UK’s priority is to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who need it most and that is why I am pleased to announce this additional funding today, which will be so vital in ensuring those affected can begin to rebuild their lives.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 February 2023.

This will make it easier for aid agencies to operate and facilitate earthquake relief efforts in Syria, without breaching sanctions that target Assad’s regime.

• The UK has issued two General Licences, building on existing humanitarian provisions, to further facilitate humanitarian relief efforts in Syria following last week’s earthquakes.
• These Licences will strengthen the timely and effective delivery of relief efforts by removing the need for individual licence applications.
• The UK remains committed to holding the Assad regime accountable, including through comprehensive sanctions regulations, for its heinous crimes against the Syrian people.

The UK is taking steps to make it easier for aid agencies to operate in Syria without breaching the sanctions that target Assad’s regime. These Sanctions General Licences will further facilitate earthquake relief efforts in Syria.

The UK’s sanctions regulations already contain robust provisions for humanitarian efforts. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is acting to further facilitate relief efforts in Syria by issuing a General Licence. The General License will authorise activities which would otherwise have been prohibited by the asset freeze for specified groups or organisations, and their service providers.

The Export Control Joint Unit’s (ECJU) General Licence will extend the protection offered by the current humanitarian exception to petroleum prohibitions for UK-funded persons to all those conducting earthquake relief efforts in Syria and Turkey. This covers persons delivering the specified activities and their service providers.

Minister of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell commented:

UK sanctions do not target humanitarian aid, food, or medical supplies, but we recognise that the current requirements for individual licencing are not always practical during a crisis response.

After significant engagement with partners and NGOs, these General Licences build on existing humanitarian provisions, and should provide extra clarity to actors on the ground responding to this devastating earthquake.

UK sanctions will continue to target the Assad regime and its backers, maintaining pressure in order to encourage an end to the violent repression of civilians in Syria. They are targeted against entities responsible for some of the worst crimes, including murder, chemical weapons use, and the systematic torture of civilians.

There are notification and record keeping requirements attached to the General Licence issued by ECJU. Both licences are valid for 6 months from the date of issue. Further detail on General Trade Licences is on gov.uk. Further detail on the General Licence regarding the asset freeze is on gov.uk.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 February 2023.

Ian Stubbs says Russia is suffering its highest casualty rate since the invasion began, but Putin could stop his needless sacrifice of thousands more Russians.

Thank you, Mr Chair. A year ago, we reported to this Forum that Russia’s military build-up had amassed approximately 130,000 troops positioned along Ukraine’s borders and in illegally annexed Crimea.

Russia had deployed: the Iskander-K offensive ballistic missile systems in range of key Ukrainian cities and infrastructure; extensive air defence assets including the S-400 and Pantsir missile systems; and large numbers of air assets including the Su-25, Su-35S, Ka-52 and Mi-8 on a scale not normally seen as part of exercises.

Russia had also imposed unprecedented access restrictions over large areas of the Black Sea and was further bolstering its Black Sea Fleet with reinforcements from other Fleets; including increasing the number of landing ships by more than double.

In the face of this massive military build-up and Russia’s escalating rhetoric, Ukraine had demonstrated remarkable restraint. We had seen commendable attempts by Ukraine, and others, to reduce the risk of miscalculation and de-escalate tensions through two initiations of the Vienna Document Risk Reduction mechanism. But Russia refused to engage, insisting that it saw “no grounds for applying the procedures of the Vienna Document Paragraph 16”. Russia’s argument that the risk reduction mechanism did not apply whilst at the same time presiding over the biggest military build-up in Europe since the Cold War, was a clear indication that Putin had already taken the decision that Russia would invade its sovereign neighbour.

Mr Chair, we also know that the lies, deception and disruptive activity from our Russian colleagues aimed to deliberately undermine efforts by participating States to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. The Russian delegation’s duplicitous behaviour endures nearly a year later.

Last week, in an interview with Russian State media, our Russian colleague lamented that other delegations were “scrutinising” Russia’s “previous statements, looking for contradictions” – we do not have to look far. In this Forum exactly a year ago, he stated that Ukraine was “stubbornly continuing to impose…an unsubstantiated idea about some kind of Russian aggression”. Russia then invaded Ukraine. Last week, he said that Russia had “made every effort to ensure military-political stability in Europe”, but Russia refused to engage in the very mechanisms designed by this organisation to reduce risk, de-escalate tension and restore stability. When our Russian colleague persists in using this Forum to peddle the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda, the contradictions are clear for all to see.

Mr Chair, over the past two weeks, Russia has reportedly suffered its highest rate of casualties since the first week of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian military leaders have now likely deployed the vast majority of the reservists called up under the so-called “partial mobilisation” and Wagner announced on 09 February that it had halted its prisoner recruitment scheme. The options for Putin and his military leaders to sustain their war of choice appear to be limited: continue to deplete their forces; scale back their objectives; or conduct a further form of mobilisation. But there is another option: Putin could end this war now, withdraw all Russian forces from Ukrainian sovereign territory, and in doing so, stop his needless sacrifice of thousands more ordinary Russian people.

Mr Chair, in the face of Russia’s barbaric invasion and brutal actions, we must all recognise that giving Ukraine the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of its sovereign territory is the swiftest and only path to a just and lasting peace. In the UK-Ukraine Joint Declaration we signed with Ukraine on 8 February, we reaffirmed our countries’ commitment to stand side by side in the face of Russia’s aggression.

The UK is working with Ukraine to help develop their longer-term force structures and capabilities, to reverse Russian gains and build towards a deterrence force of the future. We will support our Ukrainian friends as they fight to liberate their homeland. Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence will be fully restored. Thank you.