Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Iraqi counterpart on the Kurdish independence referendum.

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Abadi on 19 October and I spoke with the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Dr. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, on 17 October. I also met with Qassim Al Arraji, the Iraqi Minister of Interior on the same day in London. On all those occasions we have made it clear that we regret the Kurdish Referendum on independence from Iraq, we support Iraq's unity and territorial integrity, and we believe that the long-term security and prosperity of all Iraqis can only be met through dialogue and cooperation. The priority must remain the defeat of Daesh and returning stability to liberated areas.