§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Governments of the Baltic states on the continuing presence of Soviet troops in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggPresident Landsbergis of Lithuania raised the matter of former Soviet troops in the Baltic states with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and me when he visited the United Kingdom in October 1991. The President asked Her Majesty's Government for their support in demanding the complete withdrawal of the former Soviet forces. We were happy to give our support.
Although we have not received any direct formal representations from the Baltic states on this matter since October, the Baltic states have raised it since at bilateral and multilateral meetings.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the relevant authorities on the continuing presence of Soviet troops in the Baltic states; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggHM ambassador to Russia has raised our concerns over the presence of former Soviet 105W troops in the Baltic states with the authorities of the Commonwealth of Independent States. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also discussed this matter with the President of the Russian Federation on 20 January. We have expressed the hope that early agreement will be reached on a timetable for the withdrawal of these forces.