Written question asked by Simon Kirby (Conservative) on Thursday, 16 December 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 December 2010. It was answered by Jeremy Browne (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 10 January 2011 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Alliances

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of diplomatic, economic and military ties between North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and the Russian Federation; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: We are aware that there are ties between some of these countries. We have an interest in aspects of these relationships which relate to the Government's foreign policy priorities, in particular, counter proliferation, human rights, and economic development.Given the number of countries included in this question and the broad areas of interest listed, it would not be possible to compile the information required to answer this question without incurring disproportionate cost.

Secondary information