Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the visit of Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald to Sudan, what was discussed during the visit and what were the conclusions.

A senior delegation led by the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, Sir Mark Lowcock, visited Khartoum and Darfur between 9-10 January for wide-ranging talks. In addition to Sudan-UK bilateral interests, discussions also centred around human rights, conflict, migration, humanitarian and development assistance, economic issues and regional security. These were productive and constructive discussions that helped build a frank and open dialogue on issues of mutual concern, whilst also allowing us to underline the central importance of respect for human rights and political freedoms.