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 counterparts in (a) Turkey, (b) the US, (c) Russia, (d) the EU, (e) the UN, (f) NATO and (g) the Arab League on (i) the Turkish assault on the city of Afrin and (ii) how a humanitarian crisis can be averted.

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. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with Secretary of State Tillerson about the Turkish operation, and I discussed the situation at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The Foreign Secretary also attended a Syria Small Group meeting on the 23 January which considered the situation. The UK as a member of the UN Security Council, and the NATO North Atlantic Council, has also discussed the operation in these fora. We have urged Turkey to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians, while recognising its legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We have also stressed the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance can reach the area. 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.