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Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced he will attend the Counter-ISIL Foreign Ministers’ meeting being hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington DC on 22 March.

“New Zealand is committed to supporting Iraq as it addresses the threat posed by ISIL and works to stabilise affected communities,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Samoa this week to meet with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and members of his Cabinet.

“My discussions with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and the Government of Samoa will cover a range of matters including renewable energy, New Zealand’s support to Samoa’s tourism sector and New Zealand’s Pacific Sporting Partnerships Programme,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has condemned in the strongest terms today’s launch of multiple missiles by North Korea.

“This decision is highly provocative and deeply detrimental to regional and global security,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to the Gulf region this weekend for meetings in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. 

“Our relationships with this important region are growing at a great pace and my visit will be an opportunity to continue discussions about priority areas, including the NZ-GCC FTA, regional security issues and cooperation in areas such as renewable energy,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Cook Islands this week to undertake a range of meetings, including with Prime Minister Henry Puna and his Cabinet.

“My discussions with Prime Minister Puna and his Cabinet will cover a range of matters including New Zealand’s support to the Cook Island’s tourism sector, which accounts for over 60% of national GDP,” Mr McCully says.  

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands next week for meetings with their political leaders about partnerships, economic development and maintaining political stability.

“Papua New Guinea is the largest Pacific Islands country, a leader in the region, and an important partner for New Zealand,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully welcomes the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó to New Zealand, who he will meet in Auckland on Friday this week.

“This visit presents an opportunity to deepen this relationship, including through discussing trade opportunities and New Zealand’s ambitions for a Free Trade Agreement with the EU,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed to New Zealand the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, who he will meet in Auckland tomorrow.

“This year, New Zealand celebrates 45 years of bilateral relations with China, and our important partnership continues to be forward-looking,” says Mr McCully.

“Our two-way trade stands at over $23 billion and our aim is for this to reach $30 billion by 2020. We’ve grown in education connections and tourism, with 70 direct flights a week between our countries.”

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Australia this week to meet his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop for formal six monthly foreign policy consultations. He will also meet a range of other senior ministers and the opposition Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

“These twice yearly consultations are an opportunity for us to exchange views across a range of foreign policy issues,” Mr McCully says.

The spirit of unanimity in which the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2334 on December 23 stands in sharp contrast to the condemnation and accusations that have dominated subsequent commentary from Israel and that country's supporters.

New Zealanders deserve to know why the issue of settlements has become so challenging, and why it came before the council in December 2016.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 regarding the Middle East Peace Process. The resolution passed with 14 votes in favour and an abstention from the US.

“New Zealand voted for and co-sponsored the resolution because it is consistent with long-held New Zealand policy positions on the Palestinian question,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today announced that New Zealand will provide an additional $1 million to help Syrian people affected by the civil war, including those in Aleppo.

The money will go to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has been helping evacuate civilians from Aleppo.

“New Zealanders are appalled at the ongoing death and destruction in Syria and the conditions on the ground in besieged areas such as east Aleppo,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today announced the appointment of Sue Mackwell as High Commissioner in Papua New Guinea.

“New Zealand and Papua New Guinea enjoy a strong relationship, and we work closely together in the areas of sustainable economic development, agriculture, and renewable energy,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae will be New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

“The appointment of Sir Jerry Mateparae as our High Commissioner in London underlines the significance New Zealand places on our relationship with the UK,” Mr McCully says.

“Sir Jerry has been Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and Chief of Army, and until recently he was New Zealand’s Governor-General.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has named diplomat James Munro as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He will also be accredited to Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

“New Zealand has a strong and growing bilateral relationship with the Gulf states,” Mr McCully says.

“Our exports to the Gulf Cooperation council were worth $1.7 billion in 2015 and Saudi Arabia is one of New Zealand’s top 20 trading partners.

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

“The WTO is of fundamental importance to New Zealand.  WTO rules provide the bedrock of all international trade and therefore also underpin the network of free trade agreements that New Zealand has successfully negotiated over the last two decades,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to New York tomorrow for UN Security Council meetings.

“This will be my final visit to New York during our two years on the United Nations Security Council,” Mr McCully says. 

“We are focused on working right up to the last day and while in New York I will participate in the quarterly Open Debate on the Middle East, which will include a briefing from outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and a Ministerial-level debate on Non-Proliferation hosted by the new Foreign Minister of Spain.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the visit to New Zealand later this week by Brunei’s Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Lim Jock Seng and Energy and Industry Minister Pehin Yasmin Umar.

“Brunei is an important partner for New Zealand in South East Asia, and we enjoy friendly cooperation in defence, trade and education,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today named diplomat Andrew Jenks as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Spain.

“Spain is an important partner for New Zealand and a key member of the European Union,” Mr McCully says. 

“Spain is a base for a number of NZ companies operating in the region, and there is scope to further develop our trade and economic relationship.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today named diplomat Joanna Kempkers as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to India. Ms Kempkers will be based in New Delhi and cross-accredited to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

“As members of the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand and India have a close relationship,” Mr McCully says.

“India is our second largest source of skilled migrants and international students.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says that the use of the veto in response to a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Syria is cynical and disappointing.

“New Zealand co-sponsored a resolution with Egypt and Spain calling for a halt to the violence in Syria, humanitarian access to Aleppo, and the resumption of negotiations,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomed a United Nations Security Council Resolution imposing strengthened sanctions on North Korea following their fifth nuclear test, conducted in September. 

“New Zealand strongly condemns North Korea’s nuclear tests as a provocative and dangerous challenge to regional security,” Mr McCully says.

“North Korea’s actions have directly defied the UN Security Council, which has demanded that the country cease nuclear and missile tests.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand has joined with Egypt and Spain to put forward a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.

“The tabling of the joint resolution today follows negotiations between Security Council members over the last two weeks and builds on New Zealand’s efforts during our Presidency of the Security Council in September,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today named diplomat Nicole Roberton as New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Vienna and Ambassador to Austria.

“The focus of the Permanent Mission is advancing New Zealand’s nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation interests, particularly in relation to the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation,” Mr McCully says.