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Written question asked by David Taylor (Labour) on Monday, 3 February 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 February 2025 (named day). It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Thursday, 6 February 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Kosovo: Arms Trade

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of UK arms exports to Kosovo on (a) Kosovan security and (b) growth of the UK defence economy.

Answer

The UK continues to monitor the security situation in Kosovo closely and UK forces are deployed in country supporting NATO’s KFOR mission to maintain a safe and secure environment. This is consistent with our ongoing commitment to support regional defence and security.

HMG are also currently exploring defence export opportunities to Kosovo. This has the potential to help support jobs throughout the United Kingdom and maintain our world-class defence-industrial base alongside bolstering Kosovo’s security and resilience.

UK export licences would only be granted in accordance with the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the possible impact of providing equipment and capabilities. We do not issue licences where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria including under Criterion 4 where we determine if there is a clear risk that the items would, undermine overall peace and security.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
28392
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Arms trade Kosovo
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk