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 Russian counterpart on Turkish operations in Afrin district, Syria.

The UK and Russia, as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council, have discussed the operation in that forum. In those discussions we reiterated the need to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians, while recognising Turkey’s legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We 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.