Page 3 from FCO 177/1303

In this letter from December 1993, Frans A Engering from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands addresses the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London regarding the participation of Russia and other countries in the preparatory process for new multilateral arrangements to replace COCOM (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls). The letter states that the United Kingdom believes Russian participation is crucial and that Russian representatives should be invited to join the current discussions. The letter also mentions that the cooperating countries have a legitimate interest in participating, but their inclusion should be dependent on Russia's participation. The letter emphasizes the need for consensus among partners and rejects the idea of excluding Russia from participation until the next High Level meeting.