Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on (a) the US withdrawal from Northern Syria, (b) the actions of the Turkish Government in that area and (c) the security and military implications of these decisions for (i) Syria, (ii) the UK and (iii) the NATO alliance.

My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary spoke with US Defence Secretary, Mark Esper on 14 October 2019 and they discussed the ongoing situation in Northeast Syria. We cannot comment on the movement and actions of US troops as this is a matter for the US Government.

My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary has also spoken with the Turkish Defence Minister, Hulisi Akar on 10 and 16 October 2019. Whilst we accept that Turkey has legitimate security concerns, unilateral military action is undermining the stability and security of the region and could derail the Coalition's fight against Daesh.

For decades, Turkey has been a staunch ally in NATO and one of the largest contributors of military personnel. However, we are in full agreement with our EU counterparts in condemning Turkey's unilateral military action where it impacts on civilians and the counter-Daesh effort.