Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support security in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

I underlined the UK's support for the sovereignty and security of the region during a visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November. The UK has urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in joint and internationally-mediated negotiations to conclude a final peace settlement. We welcomed the two countries' historic joint statement of 7 December, in which important confidence-building measures were announced, aimed at reaching an historic agreement and securing lasting peace for the region.