All Party Parlliamentary Groups (APPGs) may apply to the BGIPU Secretariat for financial assistance to facilitate inward and outward parliamentary exchanges with their countries. As a requirement of this funding the APPG must submit a report to the BGIPU detailing the outcomes of their activities.
The Officers of the All-Party Group entertained the outgoing Turkish Ambassador to a lunch at Westminster on 18 June 2014. This lunch aimed to recognize the great work undertaken to advance and further consolidate close relations between Turkey and the UK.
Neil Parish MP, Chairman of the APPG for Slovenia, led a delegation of UK parliamentarians including Ms Sheryll Murray MP, Mr Angus MacNeil MP and Lord Harrison to the Republic of Slovenia from 28 to 30 May 2014. The visit aimed to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between the UK and Slovenia and build on the already firm friendship between the legislatures.
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.
Chair of the APPG for Ethiopia and Djibouti, Mr Laurence Robertson MP, led a delegation of UK Parliamentarians including Stephen Hepburn MP and Baroness Hooper on a visit to both countries from 20-26 November 2013. The key objective of the visit was to further strengthen relations between the United Kingdom and Djibouti through meetings with senior government ministers, parliamentary counterparts and business and trade representatives as well as seeing examples of UK business investment in Ethiopia.
The Rt Hon George Howarth MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group for Vietnam, led a delegation of British Parliamentarians to Vietnam in May from the 25th to 31st May 2013 to help further strengthen the relationship between the UK and Vietnam.
Lord McConnell led a delegation of UK Parliamentarians comprising Heather Wheeler MP, Ian Lucas MP, and Mark Pritchard MP, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda from the 24-29 May 2013, to examine and report on the ongoing conflict resolution processes and stabilisation initiatives for Eastern DRC and long-term reforms for DRC as a whole, as well as the human rights situation and state of democratisation in DRC and Rwanda.
Karen Lumley MP led a delegation of British Parliamentarians to Serbia in March from the 12th to 15th March 2013 to improve Serbian – British relations and future co-operation between both countries.
Fabian Hamilton hosted a visit of Icelandic Parliamentarians in Westminster to discuss Iceland’s economic future. The opportunity helped to bring Icelandic and British MPs even closer together.
At the beginning of 2012, after only a few months in post, the new Danish Ambassador, H.E Anne Steffensen had the responsibility of promoting the six months of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in this country. In difficult circumstances for the EU, much was achieved.
The British-Latvian All-Parliamentary Group aims to strengthen relations between the United Kingdom and Latvia. The group was formed in 2011 and has hosted a number of events in the United Kingdom as part of that goal. From 23-26 September 2012, a crossparty delegation of four members visited Latvia’s capital, Riga, for the first time and met with members of the Latvian Government, Members of the Latvian Saeima (Parliament), visited local business and learned more about Latvian culture and heritage.
