Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what level of engagement, support or resource the Government is contributing to the expected EU mission in the Central African Republic.

I welcome the launch of the EU's Central African Republic (CAR) military operation, EUFOR, on 2 April 2014. EUFOR will help the International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) and French (Sangaris) forces to provide security in Bangui until a hand-over to MISCA or a possible UN Peacekeeping Operation can take place.

I encouraged the quick deployment of the mission when I attended the Mini-Summit on CAR on 2 April in the margins of the EU-Africa Summit. The UK will pay its share of the common costs for EUFOR, and has played a strong role in planning, including through provision of a military officer to EUFOR's Operational Headquarters in Larissa. Discussions are currently underway about the possibility of providing strategic airlift assistance with countries that have contributed troops.