The Armenian economy is sufficiently prosperous for there to be no need for traditional international bilateral aid from the UK. After the 1988 earthquake, the UK sent support and the Embassy and UK volunteers have made a real difference at the Lord Byron school at Gyumri, opened in 1990 by Margaret Thatcher during her first visit to the then Soviet Union.
The Delegation to Armenia had the opportunity to meet with prominent figures in the Armenian government and parliament during the programme. Discussions were dominated by the Armenian decision to seek membership of the Eurasian Customs Union and what the ramifications of this might be for the relationship with the EU, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the approaching centenary commemorations of the Armenian Genocide.
SEMINAR OVERVIEW BGIPU welcomed to London more than 60 parliamentarians and arms control experts from across the globe from 3-5 November 2014, for an International Parliamentary Seminar on the Arms Trade Treaty. The key objective of the meeting was to highlight the role of parliamentarians at a time when the ATT’s Entry into Force is […]
A UK parliamentary delegation consisting of Jack Straw MP and Ben Wallace MP (as Joint Chairs of the APPG) accompanied by Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Jeremy Corbyn MP visited Iran from 6-10 January 2014 at the invitation of the Majlis (the Islamic Parliament of Iran). The main purpose of the visit was to advance inter-parliamentary dialogue to build better relations with Iran, including through inviting a reciprocal return visit from Tehran.
A delegation from Haiti undertook an inter-parliamentary visit to the UK Parliament from 18-20 November 2013 led by the President of the National Assembly, Hon Senator Simon Dieuseul Desras. The visit provided an important opportunity to better inform UK parliamentarians of the deep-seated governance, social and economic challenges facing Haiti and to explore areas the UK might assist the country in its efforts to consolidate its security, prosperity and democratic governance.
The BGIPU hosted a seminar in Westminster on Drug Policy Reform from 28 to 30 October. Around 50 members from 30 parliaments from Latin American, West African and Europe attended along with a range of expert speakers and observers.
As part of ongoing work in the Balkans and Bosnia in particular, this was a visit for parliamentarians to see for themselves the issues and concerns surrounding the area. The programme was extremely busy for the 5 days we were there and we met many politicians and visited not only Sarajevo but Mostar and Banja Luka.
The BGIPU will be marking the International Day of Democracy (15 September) and promoting the work of our membership with a series of thematic events across Parliament during the week commencing 9 September. The events will embrace the theme of this year’s International Day of Democracy of “Strengthening Voices for Democracy”.
The BGIPU in conjunction with the FCO, facilitated a meeting between senior members of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces and UK Parliamentarians on Thursday 5th September. The visit of the delegation from the Syrian National Coalition followed just a week after the vote in the Commons on UK responses to the situation in Syria.
The BGIPU hosted a visit of Somali Parliamentarians to the UK for a capacity building and parliamentary strengthening programme. The 5 Members of the House of People met with Members, senior officials and clerks to learn about the functioning and procedures of the Westminster system. The visit formed part of the support offered by HMG to the Somali government and Parliament in establishing and strengthening the Somali parliamentary institution, since its re-establishment in August 2012.
