To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affiars, what recent discussions he has had with his Iraqi counterpart on freedom of religion and human rights for (a) Jewish people and (b) other ethnic groups in that country.
Answered on
10 July 2018
The UK is firmly committed to protecting religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq. We consistently urge the Government of Iraq, at all levels, to uphold fundamental human rights including the right to freedom of religion or belief and the rights of all minorities across Iraq. The Prime Minister underlined this message with Prime Minister Abadi during her visit to Iraq in November 2017, and both the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN and I reiterated it during our visits in March and April 2018 respectively. Our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate-General in Erbil continue to raise the issue with Iraqi and Kurdish officials. We will encourage the new Iraqi Government to support the needs of all of their communities.