§ Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they share the opinion of the Turkish Government that S-300 anti-aircraft/anti-missile missiles which the Government of Cyprus is reported as buying from Russia are offensive (in that they would be capable of striking targets in Turkish air space) and therefore should not be deployed; and, if so, whether this means they consider all anti-missile missiles of this type to be offensive weapons.
§ Baroness ChalkerThe S-300 is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that is primarily designed to fulfil an air defence role. As with any SAM, however, there might be circumstances in which the S-300 could be used in an offensive capacity. We have made clear to the government of Cyprus that we regret their decision to buy this system.