Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on addressing the refugee crisis in the Middle East.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers regularly discuss the migration and refugee crisis with their counterparts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, co-hosted by the UK in London on 4 February, brought together over 60 countries, as well as international organisations, business, civil society, Syrians and people affected by the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) held bilateral talks with colleagues from a range of countries, and migration was a feature of many of those meetings. On 15 February, the Foreign Secretary attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, and discussed the crisis with ministers for foreign affairs from EU countries.
My right hon. Friend, the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) attended the General Affairs Council in Brussels on 16 February, where he discussed migration with Europe ministers from EU countries. Migration was on the agenda at the European Council on 18-19 February, attended by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron). It was also the main focus of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 25 February, attended by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).