Written questions by MacDonald.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to cooperate with the Syria Civil Defence.

The UK has long supported the Syrian Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets) in their vital work to facilitate humanitarian access, conduct search and rescue operations, and enable the safe removal of unexploded weapons. We are proud of this partnership and remain committed to supporting the White Helmets during its transition into the Syrian Government's Ministry for Emergency and Disaster Relief. In the financial year 2025/26, the UK has committed £2.25 million of support for them to provide emergency civil protection services and community resilience activities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Monaco.

The UK enjoys positive relations with Monaco. Officials regularly engage with the Monegasque Government, including recently at the Blue Economic Finance Forum on 8 June, attended by Ruth Davis, the UK Special Representative for Nature. Our Ambassador to France is also responsible for relations with Monaco with an Honorary Consul based in the Principality. The Prime Minister and Prince Albert both attended the last meeting of the European Political Community in Tirana.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Iceland.

The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Iceland across a broad range of bilateral files. We work closely together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary visited Iceland on 29 May and had a bilateral with Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir at Keflavik Air Base. I also visited Iceland for the Arctic Circle Assembly in October 2024 and delivered a speech on the UK's commitment to the Arctic in the face of global challenges. The annual UK-Iceland Diplomatic Consultations were held at official level in London in April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Malta.

The UK and Malta share a historic relationship. The UK and Malta cooperate closely on foreign policy, military training, rule of law, regional security, irregular migration, climate change and consular services. The UK Government engages regularly with Malta at Ministerial level to progress this cooperation. In July 2024, the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Abela at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit. In October 2024, the Foreign Secretary met Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Dr Ian Borg at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and I spoke with him in discussions on a range of matters. Since then, my department has continued engaging with Malta at official level to progress cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Bulgaria.

Bulgaria remains a key partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally for the United Kingdom, and we cooperate on many key priorities including Russia-Ukraine and tackling organised immigration crime. We signed a Strategic Partnership in October 2023, and held the first of our yearly Strategic Dialogues in Sofia in June 2025, providing an opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral and international priorities. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Georgiev on 21 July in London, and on 17 January in Sofia, where they discussed the full range of the bilateral relationship. The Minister for the Cabinet Office met the Interior and Foreign Ministers in Sofia on 17 June when he visited regarding the roll-out of eGates to UK nationals. I met the Bulgarian Ambassador to London on 23 June.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with the Netherlands.

The UK and the Netherlands have a strong bilateral relationship as North Sea neighbours, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, and a shared approach to global challenges. The Prime Minister hosted Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Downing Street on 6 February, and the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Veldkamp during his visit on 6 May. The UK and the Netherlands continue to work together to promote economic growth and to tackle organised crime, including the people smuggling gangs that drive illegal migration. As NATO allies, we continue to work to promote stability in the Middle East, ramp up the pressure on Russia, and provide support to Ukraine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Luxembourg.

The UK government has a strong bilateral relationship with our NATO ally Luxembourg, underpinned by a bilateral framework agreement which spans a wide range of common interests, including defence, financial services, energy security, human rights and tackling climate change. The Foreign Secretary hosted Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on 10 February in London where discussions included deepening our cooperation to intensify pressure on Russia and reinforce support for Ukraine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Croatia.

Croatia is a valued partner of the United Kingdom, both bilaterally and as a NATO Ally. In 2022 we signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, covering defence cooperation, and in 2023 a Joint Declaration on Bilateral Cooperation, which committed us to working together on shared priorities, from support to Ukraine, scientific collaboration, clean energy, to tackling irregular migration through the Western Balkans route. We also hold annual joint military exercises, and over 800,000 British tourists visit every year, strengthening our people-to-people links. Our Foreign Secretaries last met in London in March, and our Prime Ministers met in May at the European Political Community summit in Tirana. I last held a strategic dialogue with my counterpart in November 2024. This meeting deepened our shared understanding and cooperation on our priority issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Liechtenstein.

The UK and Liechtenstein have a strong bilateral relationship focussed on trade and working together at multilateral institutions. Our non-resident Ambassador visited last month meeting the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. We remain committed to maintaining our strong diplomatic and economic ties.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Montenegro.

The UK maintains a strong relationship with Montenegro. We work closely together bilaterally as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and look forward to hosting the Government of Montenegro this autumn at the Berlin Process summit. On 28 May we signed a Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership between Montenegro and the UK. This Declaration enhances future cooperation between the two countries across a wide range of areas, including security, serious and organised crime, economic development, the rule of law, migration, education, and culture. In May the UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Karen Pierce, visited Montenegro. The Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and I also visited Montenegro this year to further our bilateral relationship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Hungary.

Hungary is an important partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally of the United Kingdom, and where there is mutual benefit we work together on shared interests, including on trade, security and defence. As in any bilateral relationship there are differences and where we have concerns, we raise them candidly, including on restrictions on essential freedoms, including respect for and freedoms for the LGBT+ community, and on our differing approaches to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Government maintains regular dialogue with its Hungarian counterparts. The Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Szijjártó in London for bilateral talks in January, and I am also in regular contact with EU Minister János Bóka and Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar, whom I met in London on 19 June.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with North Macedonia.

The UK maintains a strong relationship with North Macedonia. We work closely together bilaterally as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and look forward to hosting the government of North Macedonia this autumn at the Berlin Process summit. On 16 May we announced a new bilateral strategic partnership supporting closer co-operation on areas including economic growth, defence and security and tackling irregular migration. On 22 May, the UK and North Macedonia signed a landmark Government-to-Government Partnership, unlocking up to £5 billion in UK Export Finance support for infrastructure projects. The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Mickoski in May. The Foreign Secretary met with Foreign Minister Mucunski in July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Serbia.

The UK is building a modern and forward-looking partnership with Serbia. In April, the Foreign Secretary visited Serbia and signed three Memorandums of Understanding, on migration and cyber cooperation, and on UK Export Finance. On 17 and 18 July the Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, visited Serbia to underline the importance of Serbia playing a constructive role in regional stability. I visited Belgrade in January 2025 and met with President Vučić and Foreign Minister Ðurić. I have spoken with the Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister on a range of topics. The UK looks forward to hosting Serbia at the Berlin Process Summit this autumn which will strengthen co-operation on our common security and economic growth objectives, including tackling irregular migration and serious organised crime.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Czechia.

Czechia is a steadfast bilateral and NATO Ally of the United Kingdom. We enjoy strong cooperation across key areas including Russia/Ukraine, Security, Defence and Growth. In 2022, we signed a Statement of Intent committing us to closer bilateral cooperation. The Delivery Plan under the Statement was updated in November 2024 ahead of the Foreign Secretary hosting FM Lipavsky. The Prime Minister hosted his Czech counterpart in London this July to sign a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation, to celebrate Czechia's selection of Rolls Royce SMR as a primary growth opportunity and to host prominent Czech investors at a business roundtable. I also attended the GLOBSEC defence and security forum in Prague in September 2024, Minister Thomas-Symonds attended this forum in June. During these visits we met various Czech interlocutors, including FM Lipavsky, DFM Marian and President Pavel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with San Marino.

The UK has a good relationship with San Marino founded on shared values and interests which we promote bilaterally and through our common membership of multilateral fora. Earlier this year our Ambassador to Italy and San Marino led a senior Embassy delegation to San Marino to launch a new UK-San Marino structured bilateral dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This dialogue focusses on important areas of co-operation such as foreign and security policy and growth, and builds on our existing Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation to further strengthen diplomatic relations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Albania.

The UK has a close bilateral partnership with Albania as a likeminded North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally. The Prime Minister visited Albania on 15 May and agreed an updated strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation on defence and security, justice, culture and economic growth. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Permanent Under-Secretary visited Albania on 16 and 17 July to further bilateral relations, advance UK growth objectives and support continuing joint operational collaboration to tackle the shared challenge of organised immigration crime. The Foreign Secretary and I have met on a number of times with Foreign Minister Hasani in the last year to discuss shared priorities. The UK looks forward to hosting Albania at the Berlin Process Summit this autumn.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Moldova.

Moldova is a valued partner of the United Kingdom. Since the start of this parliament, we have strengthened our relationship through the conclusion of agreements on defence and security, the mutual recognition of driving licences, and returns. In May, we held the fourth UK-Moldova Strategic Dialogue and an inaugural Illicit Finance Dialogue, reaffirming our commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation across key sectors. The UK is providing support to Moldova to tackle foreign interference in the run up to their parliamentary elections. This includes providing election observers, countering disinformation, and addressing the flows of money used for vote-buying and illegal funding of political parties.In the past year, the Foreign Secretary, the Defence Secretary and I have all visited Moldova. The Prime Minister has met with President Sandu on four occasions, most recently when she visited the UK on 23 July. I met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Popsoi in Antalya in April to discuss a range of issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Romania.

Romania is a vital bilateral and NATO partner for the United Kingdom, including on tackling the threat posed by Russia, supporting Ukraine, and addressing serious organised crime. In 2023, we signed a Strategic Partnership and held the inaugural Strategic Dialogue committing us to further cooperation across geopolitics, energy security, trade and people-to-people links. We plan to hold the next dialogue later this year. In November 2024, the Prime Minister hosted his counterpart in London where we signed a new defence treaty and double taxation agreement. The Prime Minister also met the newly elected President Dan at the NATO Summit in June. The Foreign Secretary and I have also engaged our counterparts several times in the last year, discussing the breadth of our bilateral relationship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UK maintains a strong relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), working closely on improving BiH's defence capabilities, tackling organised crime, and facilitating reconciliation. We engage intensively, including through the Peace Implementation Council, to support the country's security and stability. Most recently, in May, the Foreign Secretary and UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans visited BiH and met key leaders to underline our support. I reaffirmed this when I met BiH Foreign Minister Konaković at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in April, and with Presidency members Komšić and Bećirović in London on 17 June. The UK looks forward to hosting BiH at the upcoming Berlin Process summit.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Switzerland.

The UK and Switzerland enjoy a close and dynamic relationship underpinned by our democratic traditions, our shared values and our strong commitment to innovation and to science and technology. The Foreign Secretary met with the Swiss Foreign Minister in Kuala Lumpur on 11 July and will meet again soon to discuss our priorities on Russia/Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East, European Security, growth and partnering on illicit finance and fighting corruption.