To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many foreign officials have been granted special mission status to visit the UK in each year since 2011; and if he will list the (a) names and (b) country of origin of those officials.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
16 April 2024
As set out in 2013 by the former Foreign Secretary William Hague, a special mission is a 'temporary mission, representing a state, which is sent by one state to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official engagements on behalf of the sending state'. Since starting to issue special mission status (SMS) certificates in 2013, the FCDO has given consent for 57 special mission status visits to the UK for the following officials and their delegations:
2013 | Israel | · Maj. Gen. (res) Amos Yadlin, Former Chief of Military Intelligence DMI; Deputy Commander of Air Force · Maj. Gen. (res) Doron Almog Senior Adviser on Beduoin Issues (cancelled) · Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, Chief of Defence Staff, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) · Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of International Affairs, Strategy and Intelligence |
2014 | Egypt | · Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Abdul Nasr, Minister of Education (cancelled) · Mr Mounir Faqhry Abdel Noor, Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment · Ambassador Yasser Atef, Deputy Assistant Minister for European Affairs · Dr Sherif Mohamed Ali Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of Egyptian Armed Forces · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister for Foreign Affairs · Dr Mahamoud Aboel Nasr, Minister of Education |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice | |
Iran | · Mr Ebrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania | |
2015 | Egypt | · Dr Mahmoud Abdoul Nasr, Minister of Education · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Dr Hany Kadry Demain, Minister of Finance · Prof. Dr SHerif Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Sheikh Dr Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Defence Staff · Mr Tarek Kabil, Minister of Trade and Industry · Mj. Gen. Mohamed Elkeshky, Assistant to the Minister of Defence for International Relations · Mr Khaled Fawzy, Chief of General Intelligence · Dr Ahmed Emad Eldin Rady, Minister for Health · President Sisi's Advance Delegation · President Sisi's Delegation · Major General Mohammad Farag Elshahat, Head of Military Intelligence |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Delegation of Former Security Officials · Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister · Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Chief of Military Intelligence | |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General | |
2016 | Egypt | · Mr Ashraf El Sheihy, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Saad Elgyoushi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General. | |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Maj. Gen. (ret) Amos Yadlin, Director, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) · Mr Shaul Mofaz, Former CDS and Minister of Defence · Mr Avi Dichter, Member of the Israeli Knessett | |
Rwanda | · Mr James Kararebe, Minister of Defence | |
2017 | Egypt | · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ibrahum Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. · Eng. Sherif Ismail, Prime Minister · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
2018 | Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia |
2019 | Egypt | · Mr Mahmoud Sharawy, Minister of Local Development · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2020 | Egypt | · Mr Abdel Fattah Alsisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
Saudi Arabia | · Colonal Turki Al Maliki, Coalition Spokesman and Joint Head of Delegation | |
2021 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2022 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. (cancelled) | |
2024 | Israel | · Mr Benny Gantz, Minister of the State of Israel |