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 (a) Iranian and (b) Russian counterparts to discuss the threat posed by ISIS; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK does not always agree with the views expressed by Russia and Iran, but we are open to discussion on how best to deal with ISIL and bring peace and security to the region.

At the G20, the Prime Minister and President Putin agreed that the international community needed to find a way to work together to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria and focus on the shared aim of destroying ISIL.

Iran’s role in fostering instability in the Middle East continues to be a source of concern. The newly opened Embassy in Tehran is an opportunity to discuss a range of regional issues with Iranian counterparts, including shared threats such as ISIL. The UK has discussed ISIL with Iranian President Rouhani, as well as Ministers and officials.

Both Russia and Iran have attended the talks in Vienna aimed at finding a political solution to the situation in Syria. The UK will continue to play a leading role in the International Syria Support Group.