Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent (a) arms, (b) drugs and (c) people trafficking through Syria.

We are taking a regional approach to help prevent arms, drugs and people trafficking networks through Syria. Our efforts include support to the Lebanese and Jordanian Armed Forces to tackle more effectively incursions by drugs and weapons smugglers from Syria, and we provide support to the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to respond to threats posed by serious organised crime groups, including those operating in Syria.

Additionally, we are working with international partners to raise awareness and take action on the risks posed by the captagon industry, which fuels regional instability and generates vast revenues for criminal gangs and armed groups in Syria and across the region.