Brussels, 27/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU high representative, Catherine Ashton, has decided to call for a negotiating mandate for a framework agreement in order to give greater value to bilateral relations between the EU and New Zealand. “Over the years, New Zealand has become a highly valued and like-minded partner to us. We are working closely together in the Pacific and in Afghanistan, on development and security. A new framework agreement would help build up our cooperation on political, global and sectoral issues, brining us even closer together”, Ashton explained after a meeting with New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, on Thursday 27 October. She said she trusted they would be able to start negotiations in the near future.
McCully took the view that the “politically-focused framework agreement” would strengthen their cooperation in areas such as human rights and counter-terrorism, environmental issues and development cooperation, education, science and innovation. The EU and New Zealand are already working closely together on questions of development and security, in the Pacific and Afghanistan. (CG/transl.jl)