To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last had contact with the Assad regime in Syria.

Since the closure of our Embassy in Damascus on 1 March 2012 we have only had limited contact with the Assad regime in relation to consular matters.

In order to provide appropriate support to British Nationals we have had occasional contact with the regime on consular cases where necessary, including one exceptional meeting with the Syrian Consul in Beirut and a call to the Syrian Embassy during 2013. Other consular contact has included letters from Foreign Office Ministers and formal diplomatic notes passed to the Syrian government through our Embassy in Paris. On a day-to-day basis we have an informal agreement with the Czech Embassy who are able to contact Syrian officials on our behalf to convey letters and Note Verbales on consular matters.