Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Russia about the number of close encounters between Russian and NATO aircraft and ships.

We have made no direct representations to the Government of Russia on this issue. The UK strongly supports comments made by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Stoltenberg last week, calling on Russia to obey the norms of international air traffic and understand that he has plans to follow up with Russia directly on this point. NATO Foreign Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), will discuss Russia’s actions at the forthcoming meeting on 2 December.