Tag: foreign affairs

Bishop of St Albans calls for diplomacy to be matched with action on Uyghur population in China

“what moral authority will we lose, and what price will the Uighurs pay, if we do not do all in our power, whatever the cost, to confront these dreadful atrocities that are unfolding in front of our eyes?”

In the House of Lords on 25th November 2021 Peers debated a Motion from Lord Alton of Liverpool, “That this House takes note of the reported remarks of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs that a genocide is underway against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang, China.”

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for his tireless work in this area. I also share with him a sense of frustration—I feel as if I have stood up so many times as we have engaged with this issue, yet it seems that we are not able to confront it in a way that is really making a difference. Despite all our hopes of human progress, it is quite extraordinary that here we are, at the start of the 21st century, witnessing events such as we see and which are now well documented. There is no doubt that they are going on.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 25th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding that government’s reported occupation of Armenian territory.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about human rights and religious freedom in Cuba

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 16th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in response to the 4 November statement by the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief on the government of Cuba’s targeting of religious leaders following protests in July.

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Bishop of Coventry asks about conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 16th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the OSCE Minsk Group regarding the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the (1) Syunik, and (2) Gegharkunik, provinces.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con, FCDO): The UK Government is closely monitoring the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Through the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and bilateral engagement in Baku and Yerevan, UK officials continue to urge the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities to settle all outstanding matters including the peaceful negotiation of their borders. Although not a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, the UK continues to support its work to facilitate discussions on issues such as border tensions.

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Bishop of Coventry asks about incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory

On 15th November 2021, Bishop of Coventry asked a question on UK government efforts to help ensure the integrity of Armenia’s borders following incursions by Azerbaijani troops:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, in June, I visited the border inclusion area of Syunik province, at an earlier stage than the noble Baroness, Lady Cox. In Khoznavar, the incursion had cut off the nearby village from its main water source, and access to grazing land had been denied, threatening the survival of this poverty-stricken village. Following my letters of 7 July to the Foreign Secretary and of 5 November to the Minister for Europe and Americas, what further steps are Her Majesty’s Government taking to challenge those illegal incursions, to ensure the integrity of Armenia’s borders and to press for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops according to the terms of the November 2020 ceasefire?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about arms sales to Myanmar

The Lord Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to encourage other governments to adopt the UN resolution of 19 June calling for nations to halt arms sales to Myanmar and the ruling military junta.

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Bishop of Ely urges statement of government support for Palestinian communities

The Bishop of Ely asked a question on the status of Palestinian land in the West Bank on 7th July 2021, urging that the government show support for the rights and aspirations of Palestinians, including Palestinian Christian communities:

The Lord Bishop of Ely: With little prospect of negotiations resuming, will the Minister accept that the continued settlement building programme amounts to an incremental and de facto annexation of the West Bank? The international community needs to promote the rights of all Palestinians, including the Christian community. Does the Minister agree that a strong endorsement of Palestinian aspirations by the Government would demonstrate to the Palestinian public the possibility of international political process and show that Her Majesty’s Government are committed to active peacemaking rather than merely to conflict management?

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Bishop of Leeds asks about deployment of troops at the border between Armenia & Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 21st June 2021:

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

  • what assessment they have made of any evidence that Azerbaijani troops have been deployed in the Syunik and Gegharkunk provinces in Armenia.
  • what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about the movement of Azerbaijani troops at the Armenian border.
  • what assessment they have made of the need for a border commission to determine the demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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Bishop of St Albans asks about alleged use of white phosphorus on civilians during conflict in Tigray

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on allegations that white phosphorus had been used on civilians in Tigray, Ethiopia during a discussion on the ongoing conflict in the region on 15th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I wonder if the Minister would comment on whether Her Majesty’s Government have been able to validate allegations that white phosphorus was used against civilians in Tigray, despite the categorical denial of the Ethiopian Government.

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Bishop of Leeds asks about recent military actions by Azerbaijan against Armenia

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answers on 7th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of comments made by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia on 12 May about encroachments by the Azerbaijani army into the territory of Armenia.

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