Hon Phil Goff Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

16 September 2005

Honorary Consul Appointed in Paraguay

The government has appointed an Honorary Consul in Paraguay, Foreign Minister Phil Goff announced today.

He is Eduardo Gustale, a lawyer and Notary Public based in the capital, Asuncion.

"New Zealand does not have an embassy in Asuncion, but our Ambassador to Argentina, Carl Worker, is accredited to Paraguay. However handling relations from a distance without on-the-spot assistance can prove difficult, and can be mitigated through the appointment of a capable local person as Honorary Consul.

“New Zealand has been fortunate to be able to appoint Eduardo Gustale. He and his wife Jazmin are good friends of New Zealand and highly respected in Paraguay professionally and personally," Mr Goff said.

Paraguay is the least developed country of Mercosur (the common market of South America). Like New Zealand, it is a member of the Cairns Group of agricultural producers in the WTO.

New Zealand has contact with Paraguay on issues ranging from trade access to development assistance, sporting and education exchanges, and consular matters.

New Zealand currently has Latin America embassies in Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, supported by Honorary Consuls in Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay.

ENDS

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