Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard persecuted communities in Syria, including Syrian Christians during the offensive in the Idlib area of Syria.

​We are gravely concerned about the risks for all the civilian population in Idlib, regardless of ethnicity or religion, from the threatened military offensive by the Syrian regime and Russia. The UK supports the urgent diplomatic efforts being made by Turkey and the UN. We call on the Syrian regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, to uphold the de-escalation arrangements they have previously agreed, and for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, including protection of all civilians without discrimination. We are providing additional humanitarian assistance and medical support to Idlib. This assistance is distributed on the basis of need, to ensure Syrians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity.