Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Burmese counterpart on that country's increased spending on its military.

While I have not discussed the rise in spending on Burmese military with my counterpart specifically, the level of spending on the military in Burma is of concern. The main focus of our engagement with the Burmese military is on their adherence to the core principles of democratic accountability, international law and human rights, and I have raised these issues on numerous occasions, including with the Commander-in-Chief directly in January 2014.