§ Mr. Longdenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken by Her Majesty's Government to follow up the initiative proposed in the unanimous Resolution 2129 of the United Nations General Assembly; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. William RodgersHer Majesty's Government demonstrated their agreement with the aims of this resolution by voting for it. We are pursuing an active policy of developing relations with the Soviet Union and other countries of Eastern Europe and have taken a number of practical steps to this end. These include the proposal, referred to by my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, in the Foreign Affairs debate on 11th July, 1966, for a Declaration on Europe setting out agreed principles for the conduct of such relations. There have been many Ministerial visits in both directions between the United Kingdom and the countries of Eastern Europe, covering the political, economic, cultural and technological fields. The most recent has been that of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, Mr. Kosygin. A passage in the communiqué issued after his visit refererd to the determination of the two Governments "to work fordétente in Europe and the development of peaceful co-operation on an all-European basis". The forthcoming visit by the Polish Foreign Minister, Mr. Rapacki, whom we are welcoming to this country, from 21st to 27th February, will 171W provide further opportunities to strengthen our relations with Poland. We encourage and actively sponsor visits and exchanges, both personal and official, with the Soviet Union and East European countries in all the fields specified in the resolution.