Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with overseas counterparts on a coherent international response to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic leading to further instability in Syria.

The UK recognises the significant threat posed by COVID-19 in Syria. We are therefore speaking regularly to other countries and donors engaged in Syria as well as to the UN regarding the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Syria. In bilateral discussions we have also expressed our support for an immediate, nationwide ceasefire to enable complete focus on countering COVID-19. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa discussed this with Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, on 1 April; President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, Nasr al Hariri, on 14 April; the US Envoy for Syria, Ambassador Jeffrey, on 17 April; and the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister on 27 April. We have also raised the risks posed by COVID-19 in Syria at the UN Security Council on 30 March and 29 April.