Bishop of Coventry asks about relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 29th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the opening of a museum in Azerbaijan on the second Nagorno Karabakh War on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  • what steps they are taking to promote dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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Bishop of Coventry asks about conflict in Tigray region

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 12th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Council on Monuments and Sites on 5 March that Tigray’s heritage is falling victim to fighting and “cultural cleansing”.
  • what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Ethiopia, and (2) Eritrea, about the need (a) to take immediate steps to prevent any further damage to the cultural sites of Tigray, (b) to safeguard and respect all cultural property in Tigray, and (c) to ensure that looted objects are restored to their communities.
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Bishop of Coventry asks about aid and refugee support in Sudan and Ethiopia

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 9th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to reports that over 60,000 refugees have left Ethiopia and entered Sudan following conflict in Darfur, what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) this does not destabilise Sudan, and (2) access to humanitarian aid is not affected.

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Bishop of Coventry raises access to religious sites and humanitarian aid in Azerbaijan

On 8th March 2021 the Bishop of Coventry received written answers to questions of Government on access to humanitarian aid and to religious sites in Azerbaijan by Armenians:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the implementation of restrictions for Armenians to visit the Dadivank Monastery, what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that Armenians are able to access sites of historical religious importance in areas returned to Azerbaijan. [HL13382]

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Votes: Trade Bill

On 23rd February 2021, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Trade Bill. A vote was held on an amendment to the bill, in which Bishops took part.

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Bishop of Coventry asks about recent coup in Myanmar

The Bishop of Coventry asked a question on resolution to the recent military coup in Myanmar, on 11th February 2021, highlighting the role of civic and religious leaders in the country in calling for peace and dialogue:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, will the Minister join me in paying tribute to the civic and religious leaders in Myanmar, including the respected Buddhist monk, Myawaddy Sayadaw, who is now in prison, and Cardinal Charles Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, whose published message last week spoke out strongly against the coup, called for the release of everyone who had been detained, and implored demonstrators to remain non-violent? Given the cardinal’s words to the international community that

“Engaging the actors in reconciliation is the only path”,

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Bishop of Coventry asks about ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh region

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answer on 11th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk of ethnic cleansing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what discussions they have had with the government of Azerbaijan about the use of derogatory language that could increase the risk of conflict in that region.

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Bishop of Coventry asks about UK aid to Yemen and arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The Bishop of Coventry asked a question on UK aid to Yemen and government policies on arms sales to Saudi Arabia on 10th February 2021, following a government statement on the humanitarian situation in Yemen:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, the United Nations predicts that the number of Yemenis experiencing famine-like conditions will reach 47,000 by June, nearly triple that of December. In the light of the signals that US policy towards Yemen is changing, as we have heard, and the upcoming aid review, will the Government commit to at least maintaining their current aid commitments to Yemen? Further to earlier questions, does the Minister agree that the public find it hard to understand how the Government intend to reconcile their role of being both arms seller to Saudi Arabia and peacemaker and aid-giver in Yemen?

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Bishop of Coventry asks about voices of UK Overseas Territories at COP 26

The Bishop of Coventry asked a question on ensuring representation of voices from UK Overseas Territories at COP 26 on 9th February 2021, following a discussion on the preparedness of these territories for humanitarian and disaster relief operations:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, climate change is the context in which this conversation is happening. Given the marine diversity and repository of so much of the world’s biodiversity in the overseas territories, how will the Government ensure that the voices of the overseas territories will be amplified in the forthcoming COP 26 summit?

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Bishop of Coventry asks about ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 4th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian Churches in areas returned to Azerbaijan have been labelled as ‘Caucasian Albanian’; what discussions they have with the government of Azerbaijan about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about ensuring that Armenian culture is protected in line with the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, made on 9 November 2020.

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