(Angus) (SNP):...Will the
Secretary of State confirm what role the Russian military studies
centre at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham has in informing the
Government’s thinking in this crisis? Can he reassure the House
that the work to deliver a peaceful and diplomatic outcome
remains this Government’s main priority? Within that dynamic,
what is the role of negotiations on Nord
Stream 2...
(North Durham) (Lab): I
thank the Secretary of State for his statement and commend him
for his article in The Times this morning, which laid out clearly
the false narrative that President Putin is using to justify his
actions against Ukraine. What more can be done in the information
war? Will he specifically back an initiative by Congressman Gerry
Connolly, the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, who
is calling for a centre for democracy within NATO to argue the
case for why the freedoms of thought and action are so
important?
The Secretary of State for Defence ( ): On the latter question, I would definitely
support NATO and NATO members going out and about and supporting
not only the values we stand for, but my point about the right to
choose, even if the choice is not NATO. I think we have forgotten
about what we have often argued for. We have taken for granted
our values and the cost of freedom around the world. We must
never stop arguing for that and making the case. Too often over
the decades, it has been too easy to stop making that case, or
indeed to trade it off against an economic issue. That is
why Nord Stream
2 is important. It is important that we recognise
that, if it is a success, it will not be a success for Europe,
but it will increase friction and division. We should press our
German friends to do more, should Russia invade Ukraine.
To read all the exchanges, CLICK HERE
