Defence Minister Andrew Little departs for Singapore tomorrow to attend the 20th annual Shangri-La Dialogue for Defence Ministers from the Indo-Pacific region.

“Shangri-La brings together many countries to speak frankly and express views about defence issues that could affect us all,” Andrew Little said.

“New Zealand is a long-standing participant in the Shangri-La dialogue, and the forum is more important than ever, as we face an increasingly complex geostrategic environment, and the effects of climate change in the South Pacific.

“I’ll also be taking the opportunity to meet one on one with counterparts from a number of countries including Canada, Ukraine, China, Singapore and the UK.”

Andrew Little will also join a panel discussion about Nuclear Dimensions of Regional Security to reassert New Zealand's long-standing view that nuclear weapons should be verifiably and irreversibly eliminated.

“New Zealand has a long-standing nuclear-free policy. We continue to be strong advocates for a world without nuclear weapons because there are no circumstances in which their use could be morally justified,” Andrew Little said.

The annual Shangri-La Dialogue is convened by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore.

The Minister returns to New Zealand on 5 June.

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