Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on protecting Oman's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The UK has a broad and long-standing relationship with Oman, including a strong historic and current security and defence relationship. We are deeply committed to helping Oman protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and this is reflected through our significant defence cooperation. We have a well-established and significant loan service working within all three Omani services; we are in the process of establishing a permanent British Army presence in the region; and we are heavily investing in the port of Duqm for use as a Joint Logistics Hub and by the Royal Navy. Next year, Exercise Saif Sareea 3 will take place in Oman – the largest UK-Omani exercise for 15 years.