McCully to visit Canada and United States

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will travel to North America tomorrow for a number of international meetings.

Mr McCully is leading the New Zealand delegation, including Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman, to the 25th NATO Summit in Chicago.

The summit, hosted by US President Barack Obama, brings together NATO members and contributors to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.

Mr McCully will also travel to Washington, New York and Montreal, Canada.

In Washington, Mr McCully will meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“The Wellington Declaration, signed in November 2010, proposed regular meetings at Foreign Minister/Secretary of State level to ensure we maintain momentum in the relationship,” Mr McCully says.

Alongside representatives from Pacific Island states, Mr McCully will attend a number of Pacific Day events being held in Washington and deliver a keynote address at the Pacific Day seminar.

In New York, Mr McCully will meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss a range of international issues.

Discussions will also be held with representatives from around the world in support of New Zealand’s campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2015-16.

As Sport and Recreation Minister and representing Oceania, Mr McCully will attend and chair the board meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal.