Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK will continue to take part in the EU monitoring mission in Georgia after leaving the EU on 31 January 2020.

The United Kingdom currently has six secondees in the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia. Whilst the Withdrawal Agreement provides for continued British participation in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations and missions during the transition period, all six will leave the mission when their current contracts come to an end on 31 January. This follows decisions taken by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to meet the operational needs and ensure the business continuity of the mission.

The United Kingdom is proud to have contributed personnel to EUMM Georgia since its inception in 2008, and we continue to support the objectives of the mission.