Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on defence of the eastern borders of the Alliance; and if he will make a statement.

My Rt Hon Friend The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Secretary of State for Defence, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), discussed defence, deterrence and reassurance to Allies in relation a range of threats to the Alliance at the North Atlanitc Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit in Wales on 4-5 September 2014.

As the Prime Minister set out in his statement to the House on 8 September, Official Report, column 653, the Wales Summit launched a NATO Readiness Action Plan which will enable NATO to respond faster to the new and emerging threats, including on NATO’s eastern border. To support this, the UK will continue to participate in assurance measures to support our Eastern Allies and contribute 3,500 personnel for exercises.