Press Releases
Japan-New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talk
December 20, 2023
On December 20, commencing at 13:40 a.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone talk with Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand who was appointed on November 27. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa congratulated Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Peters on his appointment and stated that Japan intends to closely work with New Zealand, as "Strategic Cooperative Partners" that share fundamental values, towards the realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
- The two ministers exchanged views on situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Pacific Island countries, and agreed to cooperate towards the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM 10) that is scheduled to be held next year.
- The two ministers had a candid discussion on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) from a strategic perspective.
- The two ministers confirmed that, starting with this meeting, they will work closely together for stability and prosperity in the region.