Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of Turkish military involvement in the civil war in Libya; and if he will make a statement.

As Parliament rose earlier than planned and the first day for answer of this PQ was after the Easter recess, due to the pace of developments during the COVID-19 crisis, I submitted a response by email on 2 April, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.

We continue to be aware of reports of Turkish military involvement in Libya. This risks aggravating the conflict and worsening regional tensions. We have expressed our concerns to the Turkish Government, as we have with other external actors whose activity continues to fuel the conflict. The UK and Turkey participated in the 19th January Berlin conference on Libya. UN Security Council Resolution 2510 endorsed the Conference Conclusions and demanded full compliance with the UN arms embargo and an end to foreign military interference in Libya. During the Foreign Secretary's 3rd March visit to Ankara, he met President Erdogan and Foreign Minister Çavusoglu and reiterated the UK's commitment to de-escalation and support to the UN-led peace process in Libya. The UK is clear that lasting peace and stability in Libya will come only through an inclusive political settlement.