Yesterday in The Hague, in the sidelines of the NATO Summit, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Prime Minister Dick Schoof met and discussed the many aspects of our bilateral relationship.

During the meeting they agreed on a Joint Cooperation Statement, an expression of the good relationship between our two countries and the desire to continue expanding our ties! As likeminded and natural partners, we know how to find each other, whether we are working together for a peaceful and prosperous Pacific region, or on meeting our 2050 net zero climate targets.

The Statement acknowledges our strong bilateral relationship, cultural ties, and economic cooperation. Furthermore, it expresses our commitment to further strengthen our bilateral relationship by working together on peace and security, trade and investment, and innovation and green growth.

Prime Minister Schoof called New Zealand our most distant friend – geographically speaking of course! And as friends on opposite sides of the globe, our relation is stronger than ever. We look forward to further building these relations and cooperation on crucial topics.