Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what formal engagement his Department and the armed forces have with their counterparts in (a) Egypt, (b) Bahrain and (c) Indonesia. [42193]

Nick Harvey MP (Minister for the Armed Forces): The Ministry of Defence has programmes of engagement with Egypt, Bahrain and Indonesia that aim to enhance bilateral relationships and support the UK Government's wider foreign policy goals. They consist of a wide range of activities including, but not limited to:

providing places on defence education and training courses in the UK (such as the Army, RAF and Navy junior officer training and the joint services advanced command and staff course);

the deployment of UK personnel in support of joint exercises and military advisory teams;

the deployment of short term training teams to deliver subject specific training in country;

advisory visits, defence staff talks and senior leadership engagement either in the UK or in country.

It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the details of individual programmes as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the UK and other states.