Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Neale Hanvey (Scottish National Party). It was answered on Tuesday, 8 September 2020 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

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Belarus

Question

My constituents in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath do not view the suspension of military training to Belarusian forces as a cause for celebration. That the UK was supporting the last dictator in Europe does not square with the UK’s espoused role as a

beacon of hope. Between 2018 and ’20, UK armed forces provided training to 17 of the 30 countries where the FCO is particularly concerned about human rights issues. Will the Minister urgently provide me with comprehensive detail on the specific training provided to the Belarusian armed forces and full details of police and military training being provided to Turkey, Bahrain and the Philippines?

Answer

With specific regard to Belarus, the hon. Gentleman raises a very important point around defence co-operation. The UK shares a co-operative relationship with the Belarusian armed forces, including mutual learning, winter survival training, language tuition and peacekeeping, but in the light of recent events we have suspended all defence engagement with Belarus.

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Secondary information

Type

Oral question

Reference

679 c482 

Session

2019-21

Oral question type

1st Supplementary

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Subjects

Politics and government Belarus

Link

View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk