Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the Turkish operation in the Afrin district of Syria.

We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria, and the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact with their Turkish counterparts. 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.