PRESS RELEASE

On the 16 November, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov conducted negotiations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Murray McCully, who was visitingMoscow on a work-related visit.

They had a substantial exchange of opinions about the state and prospects of relations between Russia and New Zealand. The mutual interest in continuing the constructive political dialogue, including at summit and high level, to improve the contractual legal framework, extend mutually beneficial trade and investment ties, as well as humanitarian exchanges, was confirmed. The need to complete the negotiations for the conclusion of a free trade agreement between member states of the Customs Union and New Zealand, as soon as possible, was highlighted.

The closeness of the approaches of Russia and New Zealand to the solution of many issues on the global and regional agenda was stated. A positive assessment was given of the implementation of the Plan of mutual consultations between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, for 2012-2014. An agreement was reached to prepare an equivalent document for 2015-2017. The list of joint events to celebrate seventy years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (13 April 1944) was coordinated.

5 November 2013