Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the rights and safety of (1) Armenian, and (2) Arab Orthodox Christian, communities in Syria; what discussions they have had with interim Syrian authorities about the protection of Syria's Christian minorities; and what guarantees, if any, they received from the Syrian authorities in those discussions.

We are deeply concerned about sectarian tensions and violence in Syria. We have consistently advocated for an inclusive, representative and non-sectarian political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government. We are pressing the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence and hold those responsible to account. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues during his recent visit to Damascus, and during his call with Syria's Foreign Minister on 18 July. We will continue to judge the Syrian Government by its actions, not its words.