02 Dec 2014
02-Dec-2014
Source: ASEAN Secretariat News
ASEAN, New Zealand to Accelerate Comprehensive Partnership
JAKARTA, 2 December 2014 - ASEAN and New Zealand successfully convened the Second ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Cooperation Committee (ANZJCC) Meeting yesterday at the ASEAN Secretariat.
The Meeting reviewed the progress of the Plan of Action (POA) to Implement the ASEAN-New Zealand Comprehensive Partnership (2010-2015) and New Zealand’s Four Flagship Initiatives. It was agreed that both sides need to further accelerate the implementation of the remaining action lines under the current POA. In this regard, the meeting identified several potential areas that both sides should further explore for the next Plan of Action (2016-2020), which include counter terrorism and extremism, small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) development, connectivity, education and vocational training, geothermal and renewable energy, food security, agricultural development, and environment and climate change, among others.
New Zealand reaffirmed its commitment to continue its support for the ASEAN Community building efforts beyond 2015, as well as its support for ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms. ASEAN expressed appreciation for New Zealand’s strong commitment and the great importance it attached to the relationship with ASEAN, and looked forward to working with New Zealand to further substantiate ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation in the years to come.
Both sides further viewed that the year 2015 will be an important milestone for both ASEAN and New Zealand, with the ASEAN Community in place and the ASEAN-New Zealand relations reaching its 40th year. ASEAN and New Zealand agreed that it would present a good opportunity for both sides to review past achievements and chart the future direction of the ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue Partnership. In this regard, the Meeting discussed preparations for the forthcoming ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit to mark the 40th Anniversary of the ASEAN-New Zealand relations in Malaysia in 2015, including the key deliverables of the Summit. The Meeting concurred that the Joint Statement by the Leaders and the new Plan of Action should be aligned with each other and support ASEAN’s continued integration in the post-2015 period. Both sides also agreed to work on details of other commemorative activities to celebrate this anniversary.
The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Latsamy Keomany, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR, and H.E. Stephanie Pamela Lee, Ambassador of New Zealand to ASEAN. Members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to ASEAN, the New Zealand delegation, and representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat were in attendance.