Syria: Armed Conflict

(asked on 8th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the lawfulness of actions taken by Turkish forces in Syria and whether they are in breach of the UN Charter in terms of (a) unilateral use of military force, (b) use of unlawful weapons including chemical weapons, (c) ethnic cleansing and forcible displacement, (d) violence and atrocities against civilians, (e) discrimination of Kurdish populations and (f) use of jihadist militias.


Answered by
James Cleverly Portrait
James Cleverly
Home Secretary
This question was answered on 13th July 2020

The UK made clear our opposition to the unilateral Turkish intervention in north-east Syria in October 2019. We welcome the ceasefire currently in place in the north-east and also acknowledge the important role Turkey has played in recent months to secure a ceasefire in Idlib. We consistently reiterate the importance of all parties to the Syrian conflict adhering to the current ceasefires and abiding by international law. The UK continues to raise concerns with Turkey over reports of violations of international law by Turkish backed forces in Syria, and to call for credible investigations into alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in areas under the control of armed groups supported by Turkey.

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