McKinnon Says NZ and Peru to Hold Regular Dialogue

New Zealand's relationship with Peru will strengthen as dialogue becomes more regular in the future, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Don McKinnon, said during his visit to Peru.

Mr McKinnon, who is on a five-nation visit to Latin America, arrived in Peru on Tuesday night (26 May) and departs this evening.

While in the capital city, Lima, Mr McKinnon held talks with the President, Alberto Fujimori who is to visit New Zealand on 11 June, and several key ministers.

The discussions focussed on the NZ/Peru relationship and opportunities for advancement, particularly in science cooperation, investment and trade.

Mr McKinnon also gave an address on APEC to the Peruvian Diplomatic Academy, which is also Peru's international affairs institute, and attended a breakfast for New Zealand business people living in Lima.

Mr McKinnon and his Foreign Minister counterpart, Eduardo Ferrero signed a High-Level Consultations Arrangement between the two Governments to establish a mechanism allowing regular consultations on foreign policy and other issues of mutual interest. The first meeting was held on May 27th in Lima.

At the meeting they resolved to advance the process of negotiations of a number of cooperation drafts between the two countries including an Open Skies Agreement on Air Services, a Scientific Cooperation Programme and a Bilateral Quarantine Arrangement for the exporting of Peruvian mangoes to New Zealand. On the multilateral side, the Ministers highlighted the participation of their countries as members of the Antarctic Treaty, and noted Peru's membership of APEC which will be chaired by New Zealand in 1999.

Mr McKinnon commented that President Fujimori's outward-looking trade and investment policies have seen Peru opening up to the Asia-Pacific region.

"With that has come new opportunities for New Zealand which I am keen to see developed," he said.

"Our links go back a long way, to when New Zealand supplied dairy products for the Peruvian government's food programmes in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We also developed an agricultural project using New Zealand technology in Puno, but there are now great new opportunities for us to forge a much closer relationship."

Mr McKinnon said he was also keen to broaden the focus of the relationship by improving New Zealand's exposure in Peru. He stressed it was important that Peru looked upon New Zealand not just as an agricultural producer but also as a country with expertise in areas of advanced technology and manufacturing.

Mr McKinnon leaves for Uruguay this evening where he will meet with the Foreign, Finance and Agriculture Ministers. He will also visit the Naval Museum and view the recently salvaged cannon from the German battleship the Graf Spee. A New Zealand ship, the HMNZS Achilles participated in the Battle of the River Plate in 1939, when the Graf Spee was scuttled.