Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the issue of aggression by Turkey in Syria will shortly be discussed at the UN Security Council; and whether any progress towards a ceasefire in, or withdrawal from, Afrin Canton was achieved, at the recent intergovernmental meeting in Paris.

The situation in Syria, including Afrin, was discussed in the UN Security Council on Monday 22 January and the Foreign Secretary attended a meeting on Syria in Paris on 23 January to discuss how best to make progress towards a political solution to the Syrian conflict. In all our diplomatic engagement we have urged Turkey to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians, while recognising its legitimate interest in the security of its borders. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war in Syria, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.