Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last discussed (a) the security of the Arctic polar regions and (b) freedom of maritime navigation with NATO counterparts.

Freedom of Navigation is a critical element of the rules-based international order and the UK plays an important role in upholding this principle. A clear example has been the global deployment of the HMS Queen Elizabeth Strike Group in 2021 - a joint deployment with NATO Allies which supported FCDO, Defence and International Trade objectives. We will continue to work with NATO Allies and other partners to safeguard Freedom of Navigation wherever it is under threat. In the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Riga in December 2021, The Foreign Secretary spoke with like-minded Allies including Canada about the importance of working together on issues affecting the Arctic, such as climate science and collective security. This was part of the Foreign Secretary's regular discussions with NATO counterparts covering regional security issues.