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1037799

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Turkey: Syria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Lewes
tabling member printed	Maria Caulfield
uin	206423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>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.</p><p><br>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.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:20:29 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield

1037904

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Turkey: Freedom of Expression
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to reports of a warrant for the re-arrest of the journalist Eren Erdem, what assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) freedom of speech and (b) press freedom in Turkey.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of the re-arrest of Eren Erdem and are following his case closely, including attendance at his most recent hearing. We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression and of the media. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and to urge respect for media freedom, which is essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:06:38 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037905

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Mediterranean Sea: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of the EU decision to extend Operation Sophia for three more months until the end of March 2019.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206416
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>This mandate extension allows the Operation to continue for a further three months and authorises the continuation of the Crime Information Cell, which allows better coordination between the Operation and law enforcement agencies, for the duration of the mandate. As EU Member States have yet to agree long-term arrangements for disembarking migrants rescued by vessels attached to the Operation, a technical extension to the mandate was necessary to allow time for Member States to find a solution.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:08:31 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037906

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Mediterranean Sea: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of Operation Sophia in deterring illegal migrants seeking entry to the EU.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>Since Operation Sophia launched in July 2015, it has trained over 200 members of the Libyan Coastguard and Navy (LCG&amp;N) on human rights, gender, and search and rescue, to improve their conduct and effectiveness in these areas. The LCG&amp;N is now better able to rescue migrants at sea, which has been a contributory factor in reducing the volume of migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean into Italy. The smuggling networks can no longer operate with impunity in International Waters. The Operation has put over 551 smuggling vessels beyond use and rescued over 44,000 migrants.</p><p><br>Operation Sophia is just one part of the EU’s overall approach to tackling the migration crisis. Ultimately, the UK Government aims to prioritise interventions upstream in countries of origin and transit to reduce the need of migrants to leave their home country or move on from a safe third country in their region. At the same time UK and EU efforts aim to alleviate the suffering of migrants in Libya through measures such as providing critical humanitarian assistance, supporting assisted voluntary returns, and working with the UN towards a political solution in Libya. The UK is clear that significant improvement in the human rights situation in Libya requires the stability of a united and representative government. <br>​</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:17:07 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037907

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Mediterranean Sea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken in response to the finding of the House of Lords European Union Committee’s report entitled Operation Sophia: a failed mission, published on 12 July 2017, that Operation Sophia has failed to achieve its objective of contributing to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>As my reply on 13 September 2017 to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union stated, the Government accepts that Operation SOPHIA has not delivered all we had hoped. However, there have been successes since Op SOPHIA was established. The smuggling networks can no longer operate with impunity in International Waters. The Operation has put over 551 smuggling vessels beyond use and rescued over 44,000 migrants. The Libyan Coastguard Training Task has also improved Libya's ability to manage its own maritime border.</p><p><br>However, HMG has always been clear that Operation SOPHIA is one part of the European approach to this issue. Ultimately, we need to prioritise interventions upstream in countries of origin and transit. Doing so should reduce the need of individuals and families to leave their home country or move on from a safe third country in their region. It is also worth noting that Operation SOPHIA is additionally tasked with the important work of implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya in the High Seas. Military vessels are vital for this task, which prevents deliveries of arms that would further destabilise the fragile situation in Libya. Non-military vessels would not be able to deter smuggling gangs from operating in International Waters in the same way. Military assets are also better able to confiscate and destroy unsafe boats and outboard engines used by smugglers.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 17:02:55 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith