Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from the Economic Community of West African States on the security situation in those countries.

The UK welcomes the recent statement by the UN and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of their commitment to work together towards peace, security and stability across West Africa and the Sahel. The UK regularly engages with ECOWAS and its member states on tackling terrorism and the underlying causes of conflict in the region. We will continue to identify opportunities for co-ordination and partnership, in particular as ECOWAS assumes responsibility within the framework of the African Standby Force High Readiness element from July.