[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 2nd, Kim Geon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a video conference with Mark Sinclair, Deputy Secretary for Asia and the Americas at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This video conference was held to provide the first opportunity for greetings between the deputy foreign ministers of the two countries and to discuss cooperation measures for the development of bilateral relations.
Both sides shared the current status and response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) trends in Korea and New Zealand, discussed future prospects, and cooperation measures between the two countries under the COVID-19 situation.
Deputy Minister Kim mentioned the necessity of allowing businesspeople to enter for economic activities, to which Deputy Secretary Sinclair explained that the New Zealand government is considering opening its borders sequentially with countries that have been successful in COVID-19 prevention, starting with neighboring Australia and including Korea.
Furthermore, both sides agreed that as traditional allies and cooperative partners, the two countries should further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Deputy Secretary Sinclair highly evaluated the recent construction and delivery by a Korean company of New Zealand Navy's largest naval support ship, and Deputy Minister Kim expressed hope that this would serve as an opportunity to further enhance defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Kim expressed gratitude for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's attendance at the commemorative event held in New Zealand on the 1st to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War this year.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional situations and agreed that as representative like-minded countries in the region and on the international stage, they should closely cooperate on various regional and global issues. Deputy Secretary Sinclair mentioned that New Zealand plans to hold the APEC summit virtually next year and expressed hope to strengthen strategic cooperation with Korea in areas such as the successful preparation of the meeting, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and climate change.
In response, Deputy Minister Kim announced plans to host the P4G summit next year, explaining that the meeting is being prepared to serve as a stepping stone for the successful hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-26) and to confirm the importance of green leadership in overcoming the economic crisis in the 'post-COVID' era.
Additionally, both sides agreed on the necessity of maintaining close communication and consultation between diplomatic authorities to develop Korea-New Zealand relations even under the COVID-19 situation, and decided to conduct in-depth discussions on a wide range of agendas through follow-up consultations.
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