Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the government of Turkey's deployment of naval vessels to explore natural gas fields near Greece on peace in the eastern Mediterranean.

We welcome the positive decision by Turkey on 22 December to remove its seismic survey vessel from waters that are contested by Greece. We also note that Turkey and Greece will restart bilateral exploratory talks on 25 January to seek a resolution to tensions in the Aegean. This should help bring greater stability and prosperity to the Eastern Mediterranean. The UK will continue to work with all parties in support of de-escalation of tensions and dialogue. The Prime Minister raised this with Turkish President Erdoğan on 28 September and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis on 20 October. The Foreign Secretary discussed this issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on 19 October and 19 November; and with Greek Foreign Minister Dendias on 24 November.