McCully to Myanmar for Asian Regional Meetings

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to Myanmar this week to attend the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN-New Zealand Ministerial Meeting.

“The East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting brings together Ministers from the ASEAN member states, US, Russia, Japan, China, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McCully says.

“It is an important regional forum for New Zealand in terms of addressing the political, security and economic issues that impact on some of our largest trading partners.

“We are very pleased Myanmar is hosting this year’s East Asia Summit and associated ASEAN meetings. Myanmar’s chairing of ASEAN is an important milestone in their reintegration into the global community,” Mr McCully says.

Minister McCully will also travel to the Republic of Maldives, and to the Kingdom of Bhutan. 

In the Maldives the Minister will meet with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon, for meetings focused on joint preparations for the upcoming Small Island Developing States Conference in Samoa. Mr McCully will also meet President Yameen and former President Gayoom.

In Bhutan Minister McCully will meet with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Foreign Minister Rinzin Dorje, to explore further cooperation between New Zealand and Bhutan in agriculture, forestry and tourism. It will be the first visit to Thimpu by a New Zealand Minister.