Written question asked by Lord Hylton on Friday, 14 July 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 28 July 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Friday, 28 July 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Turkey: Armed Forces

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to have discussions with NATO concerning a potential investigation into the military activities of Turkey, particularly regarding activities in (1) northern Syria, and (2) north-west Iraq; and what discussions they plan to have with the (a) Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and (b) the Council of Europe, about compliance with international norms for military action and any violation of existing agreements on water-flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Answer: The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria and Iraq. We engage regularly with Turkey, a NATO ally, on regional security issues and encourage restraint from any activity that leads to further regional instability. The UK is monitoring water supply issues in north east Syria; we have raised the humanitarian issue of water availability bilaterally with all parties in the region, including Turkey. We do not have plans for formal discussions on this issue at NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) or the Council of Europe (CoE).

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL9366
Session: 2022-23
Subjects: Armed forces Iraq Water supply Rivers NATO Turkey Council of Europe Syria Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk