HL Deb 20 October 1998 vol 593 c143WA
Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their estimate of the level of defence expenditure by Greece and Turkey for the next five years and the number of tanks already possessed by each of these two countries; what they perceive as the implications for NATO and stability in Europe; and what action they are taking to deal with those implications. [HL3351]

Lord Gilbert

The defence expenditure and military forces of Greece and Turkey are the responsibilities of the countries concerned. We support both countries in their commitment to resolve any bilateral disagreements through dialogue, and welcome the NATO Secretary-General's announcement on 4 June 1998 that the 1988 Memorandum of Understanding on Confidence Building Measures in the Aegean is to be implemented in full.