Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas to the right hon. Member for Enfield North on 20 February 2018, whether any discussions have taken place between the UK Government and (a) the PYD and (b) the YPG following Turkey’s military operation in the Afrin region.

We are closely following developments in Afrin and wider north-western Syria. The UK has only occasional contact with the PYD, which we use to discuss the situation in Syria.

We are calling for de-escalation and protection of civilians. While recognising Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders, 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, and secures the enduring defeat of Daesh – in which the Syrian Democratic Forces have played a vital role.