Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of trade sanctions on Syria.

We regularly review the effectiveness of all sanctions on Syria and consider them an important lever to press the regime to engage seriously in the UN-led peace process. While most EU Syria sanctions are on individuals associated with the Assad regime, the sanctions include restrictions on trade to or for the benefit of the Syrian regime in certain sectors, including (a) goods and technology related to chemical and biological weapons; (b) goods and technology that may be used to repress the civilian population of Syria; (c) interception and monitoring services; (d) military goods and technology; and (e) crude oil and petroleum products from Syria.The UK continues to work closely with European partners to sanction those profiting from the devastating Syrian war while minimising the impact of sanctions on ordinary Syrians. We look to continue implementing the sanctions after December 2020.