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Foreign Minister Murray McCully has appointed diplomat Janet Lowe as New Zealand’s new Ambassador to the Netherlands, to be based in The Hague.

“The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand in Europe and The Hague is the seat of multilateral institutions like International Court of Justice,” Mr McCully says.

“The Netherlands is our fifth largest trading partner in the European Union, and is a strong source of foreign investment into New Zealand.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has appointed diplomat Reuben Levermore as New Zealand’s new Ambassador to Thailand.

“New Zealand has a close relationship with Thailand and it was our tenth largest trading partner in 2013,” Mr McCully says.

“Despite ongoing political turbulence, Thailand remains an important political and economic partner for New Zealand in the Southeast Asian region.

“The relationship is built on a range of areas of mutual interest, including tourism and education.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today updated Pacific leaders and post Forum dialogue partners on the progress being made to implement renewable energy projects agreed to at the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit.

“On average 80 per cent of the Pacific’s electricity generation comes from imported diesel and 10 per cent of the Pacific’s GDP goes towards importing fossil fuels,” Mr McCully says. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the Joint Statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry that there will be a 72 hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

“New Zealanders are rightly shocked at the events unfolding in Gaza and we call on both sides to implement an immediate ceasefire.

Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the first reading of the Crimes (Match-fixing) Amendment Bill.

The Bill is designed to protect the integrity of New Zealand Sport by making match-fixing a form of deception under section 240 of the Crimes Act – the offence of obtaining a benefit or causing a loss by deception.

“Match-fixing is a growing problem internationally and has been described as the number one threat to the integrity, value and growth of sport,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the Oceans theme of the 2014 Pacific Islands Forum and announced new support for efforts to monitor illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

“New Zealand is committed to the development of the blue economy in the Pacific, and in particular the sustainable management of the region’s fisheries,” Mr McCully says.

“Last year, over US$3.3 billion worth of tuna was harvested from Pacific waters, yet only 14 per cent of that value made its way back to Pacific nations.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation (PARC) between New Zealand and the European Union.

Minister McCully and the High Representative of the European Union, Baroness Catherine Ashton issued a Joint Statement on the Agreement following their meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will lead a new regional programme to improve Pacific navigation charts.

“Safe and reliable sea links are a vital piece of infrastructure for the ‘blue economies’ of the Pacific,” Mr McCully says.

“Shipping services are the primary means of shifting goods and passengers between islands and the Pacific is one of the fastest growing markets for the cruise ship industry.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will lead the New Zealand delegation to the 45^th Pacific Islands Forum in Palau on behalf of Prime Minister John Key this week.

“The Forum is the foremost annual meeting of Pacific leaders and I am honoured to be representing the Prime Minister at this event,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that a team of three New Zealand Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) experts are due to depart for the Netherlands as part of international efforts to identify all 298 victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

“The crash of flight MH17 was a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the families of those affected,” Mr McCully says.

“Our DVI assistance, which will be provided by NZ Police, is New Zealand’s contribution to ensuring the victims are returned to their loved ones.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today congratulated Joko Widodo on winning the Indonesian Presidential election.

The Indonesian Electoral Commission announced overnight that former Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo and his running mate Yusuf Kalla won the Presidential race, with a reported margin of roughly 8 million votes over former General Prabowo Subianto.

“The election has once again demonstrated the Indonesian people’s commitment to democracy, and I look forward to working constructively with President-elect Joko Widodo,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the decision by the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran to continue negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.

“While it is disappointing that agreement has not been reached by the 20 July deadline, this was always going to be difficult given the complexity of the issues involved,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Timor-Leste this week to attend the Summit of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and then continue on to Glasgow to represent the New Zealand Government at the 20^th Commonwealth Games.

“The CPLP Summit will be attended by Heads of State and Ministers from the eight member states from Africa, Europe and South East Asia,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand has used a special sitting of the United Nations Security Council to call for a full investigation into the crash of flight MH17.

"The crash of flight MH17 claimed the lives of 298 passengers and crew members, including one New Zealand citizen and one New Zealand resident," Mr McCully says.

“New Zealand's statement to the Security Council overnight expressed outrage at the mounting evidence that this tragedy resulted from a surface to air missile strike.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says that the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 is a tragedy and has extended condolences on behalf of all New Zealanders to the families of those on board.

“Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are following up on indications that at least one New Zealand passport holder, and other passengers with New Zealand connections, may have been on board,” Mr McCully says.

“The Ministry is working hard to confirm these details and make contact with the next of kin.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today paid tribute to outgoing UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, describing him as a “great friend to New Zealand.”

“As Foreign Secretary, William Hague has served his country with great distinction,” Mr McCully says.

“Widely respected internationally, Mr Hague has provided leadership on a range of global issues and played a major role in furthering what is one of New Zealand’s oldest and closest relationships.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has said New Zealand strongly supports the United Nations Security Council’s call for a ceasefire between the Israelis and Palestinians.

“New Zealand fully supports the United Nations Security Council’s call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza,” Mr McCully says.

“We urge both sides to show restraint and immediately de-escalate the situation. Civilian deaths are unacceptable and further civilian casualties must be prevented.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced a Ministerial Inquiry will be held into the way the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handled the case of a Malaysian High Commission official accused of an attack on a Wellington woman.

“A thorough and transparent Inquiry is important, as those managing diplomatic immunity issues for the government need to enjoy the full, unfettered confidence of the New Zealand public,” Mr McCully says.

The Inquiry will focus on the following areas:

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced diplomat Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Abu Dhabi.

“The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is New Zealand's most diversified market in the Middle East with two-way trade worth $1.65 billion in 2013,” says Mr McCully.

“A large number of New Zealand companies use the UAE as a springboard to the wider Gulf region.

“The UAE is also a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which is a focus for our free trade negotiations.

Diplomat Jonathan Curr has been appointed as New Zealand’s new Ambassador to Turkey Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

“Our relationship with Turkey is important and diverse dealing with a range of political and trade issues as well as our shared World War One history. 

“Next year marks the 100^th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign and a substantial number of New Zealanders will be travelling to Turkey. This will be an important milestone in the strong modern partnership between our two countries.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand is greatly concerned at the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and Israel, and in particular the deaths of civilians. 

“New Zealand urges both sides to show restraint and to prevent any further civilian casualties,” Mr McCully says.

We call for an immediate end to rocket attacks into Israel and for proportionate responses that do not further escalate the situation. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will visit Korea, Croatia, Montenegro and Georgia this week.

In Seoul, Minister McCully will meet with his Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se, to help advance the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

“The negotiations are at a critical juncture.  My visit to Seoul will allow me to highlight the New Zealand Government’s view that a Free Trade Agreement is an essential part of our relationship with Korea,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the announcement from Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah that the official accused of an attack on a young woman in Wellington will be returned to New Zealand.

“Earlier this evening I spoke with Minister Anifah and he advised me that the Malaysian authorities will be returning the official in question to New Zealand to assist with our investigation,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has tonight spoken to Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah to clarify any misunderstanding relating to the diplomat who was accused of an attack on a woman and the circumstance involving his return home.

“The Malaysian Foreign Minister is absolutely committed to the alleged offender facing a proper judicial process,” Mr McCully says.