NZ US Council Welcomes Wellington Declaration

The NZ US Council has welcomed the signing of the Wellington Declaration by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Zealand Foreign Minister Hon Murray McCully.

“The Wellington Declaration is a springboard for the development of an even closer relationship with the United States which will have benefits for both parties in terms of political co-operation, trade, security and defence and sustainable development,” said NZ US Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi.

Mr Jacobi said the Secretary’s visit to Wellington had demonstrated both the vitality of the NZ/US relationship and the commitment of both governments to increase co-operation across the board.

“There is more work to be done to flesh out the detail of how the high level aspirations of the Wellington Declaration can be turned into practical activities and outcomes.”

“We will have an opportunity to discuss this in depth with a range of government, business and community leaders at the fourth US NZ Partnership Forum to be held in Christchurch next February.

“The Pacific Partners study, currently under development by the Centre for Strategic and Independent Studies (CSIS) and the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA) which will be released at the Forum, will also make an important contribution to this work,” concluded Mr Jacobi.
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