§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what(a) ministerial contacts and (b) military exchange contacts there have been in the past 12 months with (i) Lithuania, (ii) Latvia and (iii) Estonia; and if he will make a statement. [138094]
§ Mr. SpellarWe have well-developed defence relations with all three countries. These include extensive contacts at both ministerial and military levels. During the last 12 months contacts at ministerial level have included meetings between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Latvian and Estonian Presidents, a meeting between my colleague the Minister for Defence Procurement and the Latvian Defence Minister, Mr. Girts-Valdis Kristovkis, and my own meetings with Mr. Kristovkis, the former Lithuanian Defence Minister, Mr. Ceslovas Stankevicius, and the Estonian Foreign Minister, Mr. Toomas lives. In addition, following a very successful visit to the Baltic States in July 1999, the Chief of the Defence Staff has received senior visitors from Estonia and Latvia. The Chief of the Naval Staff visited all three Baltic States in June this year.
Central to our relationships with all three countries are bilateral programmes of defence co-operation, which form part of our Defence Diplomacy mission. These programmes cover the provision of a wide range of assistance, including advice on defence management, English language training and military training. In addition, my Department supports a number of joint Baltic defence projects, including the Baltic Defence College, located at Tartu in Estonia, the Baltic peace-keeping battalion and the Baltic naval squadron. Our aim is to support the establishment of democratically accountable, cost-effective armed forces capable of contributing to national and regional security and, increasingly, international security through peace support operations.