Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Hannay of Chiswick (Crossbench). It was answered on Tuesday, 14 October 2008.

Russia and Georgia

Question: My Lords, does the Minister not agree that the failure of the Russians to fulfil the agreement of 8 September, which he has confirmed they have not done by not withdrawing to the positions they held in early August, must be a germane factor for the European Union in deciding whether to resume negotiations on a policy co-operation agreement? Will he accept my support for what appears to have been the Foreign Secretary’s position in the Council yesterday, saying that the time was not yet ready for that?

Answer: My Lords, I am grateful for the noble Lord’s support for the Foreign Secretary’s attitude. He reads the Foreign Secretary’s mind and the Government’s policy on this well. As the House will know, meetings on a new agreement between the EU and Russia were postponed on 1 September by the European Council in response to Russia’s actions in Georgia, and that postponement still holds.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 704 c597
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Armed forces Armed conflict Deployment Russia Georgia South Ossetia Abkhazia
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk