Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments on avoiding further fighting and conflict along the border between those countries.

We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. We have called on both countries to exercise restraint and to adhere to the terms of the Algiers Agreement. We have also made it clear to Ethiopia and Eritrea that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues.