Recommendation 5

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

Agree. 7. HMG agrees that it is necessary to adapt to the changing conflict environment and remains committed to making every effort, including through closer bilateral, regional and multilateral coordination, to contribute to conflict resolution. Work with the partners named above is ongoing as outlined below and will continue with ambition. 8. HMG has deep and long standing bilateral relationships with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. HMG continues to build on our strong bilateral relationships to pave the way for even deeper cooperation. The UK and Qatar enjoy a strong partnership and historic and enduring security ties. His Majesty the King hosted His Highness the Amir of Qatar for a State Visit in December 2024, at which Prime Minister and the Amir agreed a ‘Future Framework’ to shape and strengthen the relationship for a generation. The Foreign Secretary visited Qatar in April 2025 for a Strategic Dialogue to take this work forward. FCDO Ministers regularly engage their counterparts. In a recent inward visit of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi; the UK and Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the area of the settlement of disputes, building on these commitments. 9. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a longstanding partner and ally of the UK. We have regular engagement with Saudi Arabia at Ministerial level to enhance our bilateral relationship, including the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Riyadh on 2 November and the Prime Minister’s visit in December 2024. We continue to press for closer collaboration to tackle conflict related issues, including humanitarian cooperation Gaza, Sudan and Yemen, and we welcome Saudi Arabia’s hosting of Russia/Ukraine related talks earlier this year. 10. We welcome Turkey’s important role in various facets of peace and stability, including via hosting Ukraine and Russia for talks in Istanbul, working with the UK towards a unified and inclusive Syria, supporting peace processes in the South Caucasus and in pursuit of peace in the Middle East. 11. HMG continues to promote regional and multilateral efforts on conflict resolution where possible. For example, during the Foreign Secretary’s meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council counterparts in the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week 2025, participants underscored their commitment to promoting peace and working together to resolve conflicts and address instability including in Israel/Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, and Syria. Together with France the UK co-penned a UN Security Council press statement to condemn Israeli strikes on Doha in September 2025, working with Qatar and other Council members to agree this swiftly ahead of an urgent Council meeting attended by the Qatari Prime Minister. 12. HMG supports continued dialogue and consultation between the members of the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, as well as efforts to deepen the partnership and cooperation between the UN Secretariat and the AU Commission. We have been pleased to support resolutions and other Council texts to this end, including the landmark resolution 2719 (2023) on AU-led peace operations across the continent. The UK provides funding (circa £4 million annually) to support the AU’s work on conflict and governance, including to support sustainable democracies and mediation efforts. The UK has partnered with the AU on initiatives to support international peace and security, including at the London Sudan Conference in April 2025, where the AU was one of the co-chairs with the UK.