Foreign Minister, Winston Peters says he has had a “seriously productive” few days in Paris, with New Zealand and France redoubling efforts on bilateral relations, strategic alignment and Pacific cooperation.
Mr Peters met with French Foreign Minister, Jean-Nöel Barrot in Paris this morning and discussed the ceasefire in Lebanon.
“This ceasefire shows the vital role of diplomacy, whose importance we have reinforced all year. It has also been valuable to discuss the situation in Lebanon over the last few days in Paris, and we applaud France’s role in bringing about this ceasefire.
“We also discussed New Caledonia, and our shared interest in the continuation of a productive, open-minded dialogue among and to the betterment of all communities there.”
Next year the two nations will mark 80 years of diplomatic relations.
“France continues to be one of our most valued partners within the European Union and Indo-Pacific,” said Mr Peters.
“The security of Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific are interconnected. New Zealand and France share deep strategic and security interests in both regions.
“France has been a driving force behind an increasingly active EU engagement in the Indo-Pacific. We share an enduring interest in the stability, sustainability, and prosperity of the Pacific region.”
While in France, Mr Peters also met Minister for Overseas Territories François-Noël Buffet, Special Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian and Diplomatic Adviser to President Macron Emmanuel Bonne.
The Minister also met a cross-party delegation of Senators to discuss bilateral relations and global foreign policy priorities and gave an address at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
Mr Peters travels to Berlin today to meet with the German Foreign Minister.
