The Earl of Munsterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy regarding sales of defence equipment to the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Viscount CranborneThe Baltic States remain on the list of proscribed destinations drawn up by The Co-ordinating Committee on Multilateral Export Controls (CONCOM) and this, together with any security and political implications, is taken into account in national decisions on proposals to export defence equipment to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All proposed arms exports are considered on a case-by-case basis and are subject to export licensing by the Department of Trade and Industry under the Export of Goods (Control) Order. In order to encourage and strengthen democratic government and assist the development of market economies, we hope to relax progressively controls on the export of 7WA sensitive goods and technologies to the Baltic States in parallel with their efforts to establish and implement effective export control systems.