Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts from Arab League states on the threat posed by ISIS; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has regular discussions with Arab League states, most of which are members of the Global Coalition to counter ISIL. It is crucial we work together to defeat ISIL. Ensuring peace and stability in the region is an important part of the UK’s counter ISIL strategy.

ISIL has been on the agenda during all recent discussions with Arab League states. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron) and President Sisi spoke about a range of foreign policy issues, including ISIL, during his visit to London earlier this month. The Prime Minister also met His Majesty King Salman of Saudi Arabia in the margins of the G20. In October and November, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) had extensive discussions about ISIL when he visited Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and engaged with regional countries during the talks on Syria held in Vienna on 14 November.