Azerbaijan
Questions
Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government on what dates since presenting her
credentials Her Majesty's Ambassador to Azerbaijan has called
officially in a bilateral capacity on the President of Azerbaijan; what
were the principal matters discussed during those audiences; on what
dates the President of Azerbaijan has requested a meeting with her; and
what was discussed in those
meetings.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Our current ambassador to Baku has had eight audiences with the Azerbaijani President while accompanying senior UK delegations to Baku. She was also present at a number of meetings during President Aliyev's visit to London in July 2009. These meetings covered a wide range issues including human rights, trade and investment, energy security, regional issues and Nagorno Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani President has never specifically requested a meeting with our ambassador.
Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government what priorities Her Majesty's Ambassador to
Azerbaijan has followed in relation to policy towards
Azerbaijan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Our ambassador to Azerbaijan leads the staff of our embassy in Baku in delivering against priorities agreed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. These priorities reflect wider British interests and foreign policy objectives. For 2010-11 they include: conflict prevention and regional security, promotion of EU energy security and protection of British business interests, human rights and democratisation, provision of consular and visa services. Similar priorities have applied in previous years.
Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government when Her Majesty's Ambassador to Azerbaijan
will finish her tour of duty; and what proven experience criteria they
will use in selecting a
successor.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The present ambassador to Baku is due to end her tour in the summer of 2011. Her successor will be identified through the normal Foreign and Commonwealth Office recruitment process and the successful candidate will, like the current incumbent, have all the suitable experience and competencies required to pursue UK objectives in Azerbaijan.
Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government what representations Her
Majesty's Ambassador to Azerbaijan has made to the President
of Azerbaijan and the Deputy Foreign Minister, Araz Azimov, about the
status of the Nagorno Karabakh region, as determined by United Nations
Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, and
United Nations General Assembly Resolution
62/243.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Our ambassador to Baku, as well as other senior UK interlocutors, have discussed the issue of Nagorno Karabakh in the context of discussions on wider regional security with the Azerbaijani President, Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Ministers.
The UK, like all other UN member states, does not recognise Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state. We strongly support the conflict settlement efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Minsk Group to find a solution for Nagorno Karabakh on the basis of international norms and principles, including non-use of force, territorial integrity and self-determination.
Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government whether they supported (a) United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 822, (b) UNSCR 853, (c) UNSCR 874,
(d) UNSCR 884, and (e) United Nations General Assembly Resolution
62/243, about the territory of Azerbaijan containing the region of
Nagorno
Karabakh.
Lord Howell of Guildford: All members of the UN Security Council, including the UK, voted in favour of Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884. UN General Assembly Resolution 62/243 was passed with 37 votes in favour and seven against; the UK abstained from that vote as the resolution did not take into account the Madrid Principles or Minsk Group process.
5Asked by Viscount Waverley
To ask Her
Majesty’s Government what is the size of the Azerbaijan
contingent to NATO's operations in Afghanistan; and for how long they
have
served.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Azerbaijan currently contributes 90 troops to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They have been providing a contribution since 2003.