Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Gapes Excerpts
Monday 12th December 2016

(7 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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On behalf of the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister, I had extensive talks with the Polish Defence Minister and his colleagues, who were thrilled that we were committed to being with them, which is what came out from the statement afterwards. The Light Dragoons, which will have their Jackals in Poland, are really looking forward to going there as well.

Mike Gapes Portrait Mike Gapes (Ilford South) (Lab/Co-op)
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On the day we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the end of the USSR, can we do more to educate our people about the importance of defending the security of the states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—that regained their independence and were able to make a free, democratic decision to associate with NATO, and to end the nonsense we hear in some quarters, perhaps on both sides of the Atlantic, that NATO is not a voluntary alliance?