§ Lord Grenfellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will continue to uphold the OSCE embargo on the export of weapons and munitions to Azerbaijan. [HL1043]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanHer Majesty's Government remain committed to the OSCE embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which the UK interprets as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the Military List).
Following consultation with this department and the Ministry of Defence, and in line with the defence export criteria of July 1997, the Department for Trade and Industry recently issued a licence for the export of equipment containing military explosives, for use in the oil industry in Azerbaijan. While the grant of this licence constitutes an exception to the UK's interpretation of the scope of the embargo, it is in no way inconsistent with the purpose of the embargo and our continuing commitment to uphold it.