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Written Question
Syria: Humanitarian Aid
Thursday 23rd March 2023

Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that relief supplies, particularly for women and children, reach the whole of northern Syria, including the region known as Rojava.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to tackling the challenge of increased insecurity and rising humanitarian needs across northern Syria. In north-east Syria the UK is providing assistance via the UN and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) partners and supports all available access modalities. Those include cross-border and cross-line assistance to reach those most in need across Syria, including women and children. In the first half of financial year 2022/23, the UK provided over 360,000 medical consultations, ensured 157,000 pupils received access to formal education, provided 32,000 people with sexual and reproductive services and provided 28,000 people with sexual and gender based violence services.


Written Question
Syria: Unmanned Air Vehicles
Monday 27th February 2023

Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) civilians and (b) Syrian Democratic Forces who have been killed by drone attacks in the Rojava region of Syria in the last 12 months.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government continues to closely monitor developments in northern Syria and recognises the loss and injury to innocent victims. While we do not have authoritative estimates of casualties, we engage directly with partners to encourage restraint from activity that could lead to further destabilisation or civilian loss of life. Security and stability in the region are necessary to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria - including in the wake of the 6 February earthquake - and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.


Written Question
Syria: Coronavirus
Monday 4th May 2020

Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Independent - Enfield, Southgate)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will take steps to work with its (a) Turkish and (b) European counterparts on reducing the risks of (i) infection and (ii) transmission of covid-19 in the area of Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria also known as Rojava.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK recognises the significant threat posed by COVID-19 in North East Syria and across the country. We are speaking regularly to other donors, including Turkey, other European countries and with the UN, to effectively reduce the risks of infection and transmission throughout Syria.

Aside from our diplomatic efforts, the UK is one of the leading donors supporting international efforts to deliver vital healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene activities; all of which reach communities in North East Syria, and help mitigate the threat posed by COVID-19.

The Department for International Development's current support inside Syria includes training for health workers; educational material to raise awareness on health and sanitation; provision of infection, prevention, and control supplies; and cash assistance for refugees and internally displaced persons. The UK is monitoring the situation closely and working with humanitarian partners inside Syria to respond to the outbreak and to sustain life-saving services.


Written Question
Syria: Overseas Aid
Thursday 30th April 2020

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK aid donated bilaterally and through the UN is reaching Rojava in north east Syria.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

UK aid continues to reach communities in North East Syria. DFID support is distributed via a number of UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations, and targets those in acute need across the North East. It balances provision of vital, life-saving supplies such as food, water, shelter and healthcare, with helping communities recover from life under Daesh occupation, for example, by providing grants to small businesses. DFID has rigorous and robust checks to monitor partners’ activity and ensure aid goes to those in acute need across the North East.

Between April and September 2019, DFID support to Al-Hasakeh, Al-Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor governorates and provided: over 325,000 medical consultations, over 5,000 food rations; clean drinking water to over 41,000 people, access to education to over 30,000 pupils, and has helped over 5,000 people with business development.


Written Question
Syria: Military Intervention
Tuesday 29th October 2019

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on that country's (a) invasion of Rojava and (b) attacks against the Kurds in northern Syria.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

​The UK has been consistently clear with Turkey on our opposition to its military action in north-east Syria. The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan on the 12 and 20 October and called on Turkey to end its military operation. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary also conveyed this message to their Turkish counterparts while I did so with my counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Önal, on 26 October. I welcomed the fact that the US-brokered ceasefire appears to be holding and urged this to continue. We have also highlighted our serious concern about reports of violations of international humanitarian law during the military operation and reiterated our expectation that all parties respect their obligations towards the local civilian population under international humanitarian law.


Written Question
Travel Restrictions: Syria
Friday 21st June 2019

Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to ban travel to Rojava in Syria.

Answered by Ben Wallace

The Home Secretary announced on 20 May that he intended to consider the case for designating any part of Syria, with a focus on Idlib and North-East Syria, under section 58C of the Terrorism Act 2000 as amended by the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. That review is ongoing and any decision to exercise this power will be announced in due course.


Written Question
Turkey: Syria
Wednesday 16th January 2019

Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on preventing the planned (a) invasion of Rojava and (b) attacks against the Kurds in northern Syria.

Answered by Alan Duncan

I have had a number of recent conversations with my Turkish counterparts over the conflict in Syria, as have my ministerial colleagues and the Prime Minister. While we recognise Turkey's security interests, we are closely monitoring the situation in North East Syria and are concerned about the humanitarian impact of a potential Turkish military operation, as well as the impact on the campaign against Daesh.


Our priority is to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement: we believe only an inclusive, non-sectarian government can unite the country and protect the rights of all Syrians.


Written Question
Syria: Kurds
Wednesday 17th January 2018

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) diplomatic, (2) military, and (3) humanitarian, training and support they have provided to the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, also known as Rojava, in the last two years.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We maintain political and diplomatic contact with a number of Kurdish groups to influence their policy and work towards a political solution to the conflict, encouraging commitment to pluralism and pressing for cooperation with the wider Syrian opposition. We have used our occasional contact with the PYD to express concern over reports of human rights abuses by its associated security forces and over links with both the Assad regime and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The UK does not provide any direct assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (YPG) or the Democratic Union Party (PYD). As part of the Global Coalition, we have provided military support including airstrikes to the Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the YPG are a contingent part, in the campaign to remove Daesh from Eastern Syria. We have also provided humanitarian and limited stabilisation support to address the immediate needs of the local population in Eastern Syria.


Written Question
Syria: Peace Negotiations
Wednesday 17th January 2018

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, also known as Rojava, is represented at future peace talks on Syria.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is Kurdish representation at Syrian peace negotiations in Geneva through the Kurdish National Council, which has a role within the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission. Invitations for any other groups to the Geneva peace negotiations are a matter for the UN Special Envoy for Syria. The UN Envoy has involved Kurdish and other minority groups in civil society discussions alongside formal negotiations in Geneva.

We maintain that any political settlement must be inclusive. All Syrian constituencies must ultimately be represented in discussion on Syria's future – this is a key principle in the 2012 Geneva communique and UN Security Council Resolution 2254.


Written Question
Syria: Armed Conflict
Thursday 20th October 2016

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his recent assessment is of the (a) security situation and (b) state of human rights in Rojava region of Syria.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

The security situation in Syria remains extremely volatile and dangerous. There is widespread fighting throughout Syria. Full scale military operations involving the use of small arms, tanks, artillery and aircraft are ongoing. We advise against all travel to Syria, without geographic exception.

The UK Government does not recognise the self-declared Rojava region in Syria. We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in areas under the control of the PYD and its allies. Human Rights Watch and others have reported the abduction and arbitrary arrest of political opponents. Amnesty International has also highlighted reports of arbitrary detentions and unfair trials of those deemed to support Daesh without credible evidence, and the demolition of civilian homes and forced displacement of civilians. We continue to press the PYD to address these concerns; and for the PYD and all other actors to adopt a pluralistic approach, inclusive of all ethnic groups, and to abide by international human rights standards.