Syria: Armed Conflict

(asked on 20th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any British-supplied weapons have been used in the Turkish military operations in Afrin.


Answered by
Alan Duncan Portrait
Alan Duncan
This question was answered on 27th March 2018

​UK arms exports are subject to export controls. All decisions to approve export licences are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (Consolidated Criteria). Decisions are based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available, including reports from our overseas network and military contacts. The Consolidated Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. We do not issue export licences where, for example, we assess there is a clear risk that the goods might be used for internal repression or used aggressively against another country. We cannot categorically state that UK weapons are not in use in Turkish military operations in Afrin, but all decisions to approve export licenses will have been taken based on the Consolidated Criteria and according to the latest information available at that time. We keep our approach to all countries under continual review.

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