Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afrin district, northern Syria.

We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria. The Foreign Secretary and I have been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu to discuss the Turkish operation in Afrin. We recognise Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We have urged them to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.