Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to end (a) the aerial bombardment of and (b) other military hostilities towards civilians in Idlib, Northern Syria by the (i) Russian and (ii) Syrian Government.

We are deeply concerned about the situation in Idlib, north-west Syria, as a result of the ongoing offensive by the Syrian regime and Russia. We are calling on all parties to adhere to previously agreed ceasefires and abide by their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly UNSCR 2254, which calls for a nationwide ceasefire as part of a political process to end the conflict.

We have repeatedly raised the issue at the UN Security Council and called an emergency session on Idlib on 6 February. The Prime Minister discussed the situation in Idlib with President Erdogan, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel at their meeting on 3 December 2019. I discussed Idlib with Turkish counterparts during a visit to Turkey on 5-6 February and with Special Envoys of the Small Group on Syria (comprising Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States) on 28 January. Officials have also raised our concerns with Russian counterparts. We have repeatedly condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools and medical facilities. We strongly supported the UN Secretary General's establishment of a Board of Inquiry to investigate such attacks and have called for the results of this inquiry to be made public when released.