McCully to visit Jamaica, Cuba

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will depart New York today to visit Jamaica and Cuba for bilateral talks.

“The Caribbean region has many similarities to the Pacific. This visit is an opportunity to bolster existing bilateral and trade relationships with two of our larger partners in the region,” Mr McCully says.

“As Forum Chair, New Zealand promoted closer linkages between the sixteen member Pacific Islands Forum and the fifteen member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), recognising the common concerns of small states.”

In Kingston, Mr McCully will meet with Prime Minister Hon Portia Simpson-Miller, Foreign Minister Senator the Hon Arnold J Nicholson and will deliver a speech to the University of West Indies.

In Havana he will hold foreign policy talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Rodriguez Parrilla, meet with Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, and address the Cuban Diplomatic Academy.