Displaying 145 - 168 of 242 results.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced diplomat Raylene Liufalani as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Argentina.

“Argentina is an important partner for New Zealand in Latin America, and the resumption of direct flights to Buenos Aires later this year will serve to further strengthen ties between our two countries,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will commit $14.5 million over five years to help develop Timor-Leste’s coffee and cocoa industry.

“Coffee is Timor-Leste’s largest export after oil and gas, but productivity issues mean the sector performs significantly below its potential,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the announcement that the Auditor-General will look at the Saudi Food Security Partnership and Agrihub project.

“We have said from the outset that the Auditor-General is entitled to scrutinise any spending of public money, whenever she chooses, and we welcome her decision to carry out an inquiry into the Saudi Food Security Partnership," Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has expressed condolences to the victims and families affected by the explosion at Erawan Shrine in Central Bangkok last night (midnight Monday NZT). 

“There are reports that at least 19 people have been killed and many more injured in what appears to be a deliberate attack on an area frequented by tourists," Mr McCully says.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Thailand as they come to terms with the senseless loss of innocent life, the victims, and the families of those injured or killed in the blast.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic this week for a range of meetings to mark the 40th anniversary of New Zealand’s formal partnership with ASEAN.

“New Zealand is developing an increasingly diverse relationship with the Mekong region, including Cambodia and Lao PDR,” Mr McCully says

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today announced that New Zealand has sent a team of 15 earthquake engineers to Nepal to assist with the rebuild following the massive quakes which hit the country earlier this year.

“The specialist engineers departed for Nepal this week and will remain there until November,” Mr McCully says

“They will provide Nepal’s Government with technical support in seismic assessment, design of repair and retro-fit solutions, barricading, shoring, temporary works, deconstruction and demolition.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will provide an initial $500,000 to support the response to serious flooding in Myanmar.

“Flash floods and landslides in Myanmar have affected more than 500,000 people across the country and there are reports of close to 100 fatalities,” Mr McCully says.

“Our thoughts are with the people and Government of Myanmar as they come to terms with this disaster and our funding will support the immediate humanitarian response to the flooding.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands next week leading a delegation of New Zealand officials and business people.

“Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are important regional partners and fellow members of the Pacific Islands Forum,” Mr McCully says

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to Kuala Lumpur this week to attend the ASEAN-NZ Ministerial Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 22nd ASEAN Regional Forum.

“This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of New Zealand’s formal partnership with ASEAN,” Mr McCully says. 

“ASEAN is vitally important to New Zealand.  If ASEAN were a single country, it would be the third most populous in the world, the fourth biggest exporter and the seventh largest in terms of GDP.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand is deeply concerned at the announcement by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the immediate construction of 300 housing units in the settlement of Beit El and the additional approval of around 500 new housing units in East Jerusalem.

“Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem damage efforts to negotiate a solution to a conflict which has been at the core of Middle East tensions for decades,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Open Debate: Peace and security challenges facing Small Island Developing States, delivered by Murray McCully, Minister of Foreign Affairs, July 30, 2015 (New York time).

I thank our distinguished briefers for their informative contributions and the heads of government and Ministers who have come to New York to participate in this debate.

Of 44 small island developing states, only 6 have served on the Security Council.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the failure of the Security Council to adopt a resolution seeking to establish an international tribunal to provide accountability for the downing of flight MH17 is deeply disappointing.

“New Zealanders were among the 298 people lost over Ukraine in July 2014 on flight MH17 and we strongly support accountability for this tragedy,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the Security Council’s renewal today of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus comes at an important time for the island.

“There are strong signs of progress in Cyprus towards resolution of this 50-year-old dispute and this is testament to the leadership being shown by both parties,” Mr McCully says.

“The resumption of talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, facilitated by the United Nations, on reunification of the island is a very promising step on the road to lasting agreement.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully met with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington today to discuss issues related to New Zealand’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council and the US/NZ relationship.

“New Zealand and the United States work together closely at the United Nations and we cooperate on a range of international peace and security issues,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Statement delivered by Foreign Minister Murray McCully, United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East, Thursday 23 July 2015 (New York Time)

Right across the Middle East, grave issues continue to demand this Council’s attention.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. The civil war in Syria rages on. In Iraq, sectarian divides provide space for groups like ISIL to prosper. A basis for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians remains elusive.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully chaired a meeting of the United Nations Security Council today that endorsed last week’s historic nuclear deal between Iran, the Five Permanent (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany.

“The Council adopted a resolution that makes the agreement legally binding and sets out steps towards its implementation,” Mr McCully says.

“New Zealand hopes this agreement can form the basis for building trust and opening a new chapter of cooperation in the Middle East.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the thoughts of all New Zealanders are with the victims of the MH17 tragedy and their families on the first anniversary of the flight going down.

“New Zealand joins with other countries in remembering those aboard MH17 today,” Mr McCully says.

“The downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight in the eastern Ukraine cost 298 lives, including one New Zealand citizen and one New Zealand resident.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to New York this weekend to support New Zealand’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

“As the current President of the Security Council, New Zealand chairs all Council meetings and has a central role convening the Council’s work on major international security issues,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed news that agreement has been reached on a nuclear deal between Iran, the Five Permanent (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany.

“Over the last eighteen months negotiators have been working to secure an agreement that will increase international confidence in the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully met with President Waqa of Nauru in Sydney yesterday and today to express New Zealand’s concerns over reported violations of civil and political rights.

“My meetings with President Waqa provided an opportunity to raise New Zealand’s concerns about the suspension of opposition Members of Parliament, and the alleged removal of civil and political rights. I also raised directly the cancellation of Roland Kun’s passport, given his close connection to New Zealand,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced diplomat Vangelis Vitalis as New Zealand’s next Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva.

“The WTO is of fundamentally import to New Zealand and WTO rules underpin the network of free trade agreements that New Zealand has successfully negotiated over the last two decades,” Mr McCully says. 

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Sydney later this week to attend a meeting of Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers.

“This meeting is an important opportunity for Ministers to discuss international issues that affect the region,” Mr McCully says.

“This includes considering regional approaches to disaster response, which is particularly relevant following the damage caused by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu.”

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced a $26 million package, aimed at helping the tourism sector in Vanuatu recover following Cyclone Pam.

“Tourism accounts for 20 per cent of the Vanuatu economy and employs 26 per cent of the labour force. Getting the tourism sector back up a running is vital to Vanuatu’s long-term recovery from Cyclone Pam,” Mr McCully says.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the start of the US/NZ Partnership Forum which is taking place in Auckland this week.

“The Forum has a long history of bringing together a range of participants from multiple sectors to discuss the relationship between New Zealand and the United States,” Mr McCully says.

“The US is one of New Zealand’s most important partners and events like this reinforce the strong links between our two nations.

  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs