§ 33. Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contact his Department has had with(a) the headquarters of the South-East Europe Brigade at Plovdiv in Bulgaria and (b) the Partnership for Peace study centre at Ankara, Turkey. [117913]
§ Mr. SpellarThe United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has had limited informal contacts with the Headquarters South-East Europe Brigade, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the Partnership for Peace study centre in Ankara, Turkey. In the case of the Headquarters, a visit was made on 21 March by a group of Staff and Students from the Joint Services Command and Staff College during a regional tour, accompanied by the British Defence Attaché, Sofia. There has been contact between the Commander and Staff of the Partnership for Peace study centre, Ankara, and the UK Officer attached to the Regional Training Centre, Bucharest, which also has recognition as a Partnership for Peace training centre.
Representatives from the UK Armed Forces are due to attend two events at the Ankara centre later this year.