Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on (a) Turkish air strikes on Afrin and (b) the effect of those air strikes on Kurdish communities.

​The Foreign Secretary has been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu about the situation in Afrin. We are closely following developments in Afrin and wider north-western Syria. We are calling for de-escalation and protection of civilians. While recognising Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders, it remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region, and secures the enduring defeat of Daesh.