Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the implications for her policy of the decision by Interpol to allow Syria to rejoin that organisation's information exchange network.
INTERPOL is an independent organisation and is politically neutral in fulfilling its mandate. The UK does not have any influence on the decision to readmit Syria to INTERPOL's information exchange network. The UK remains strongly opposed to any degree of normalisation with the Assad regime in light of the many crimes committed under its leadership. The FCDO will continue to advocate for sustained diplomatic pressure on the regime to force its serious engagement with the UN-led political process, which remains the only viable route to a lasting and inclusive peace in Syria.
On 9 September, the Home Secretary with her G7 counterparts committed to strengthening our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL notices, to improperly target and detain individuals for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through supporting INTERPOL's use of corrective measures, as appropriate, and increasing outreach on this issue.