From the airport, Edward Nalbandian departed for a meeting with Murray McCully, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand.

Welcoming the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully said, “You made a great step by accepting my invitation to visit New Zealand and crossing this long distance arrived in New Zealand, which is a proof of Armenia’s readiness to give a new quality to the cooperation with our country.”

Expressing gratitude for the invitation to visit New Zealand, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that the first visit of the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs to New Zealand on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is aimed at the provision of a new quality to the bilateral cooperation in various spheres.

In the course of the talks, for boosting the cooperation between the two countries, the sides agreed mutually to accredit ambassadors, to develop interaction in the frames of the international organizations, to hold consultations and to support each other’s candidacies.

During the discussions over economic interaction, renewable technologies, energy and agriculture were stressed as possible spheres for cooperation.

Ministers Nalbandian and McCully had a thorough talk on current issues of the international agenda, in particular the developments unrolling in the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian issue and Iran nuclear program.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented his New Zealand counterpart Armenia’s policy towards the maintaining of security in the Caucasus region. In this context, Edward Nalbandian stressed the importance of New Zealand’s balanced position over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand presented the developments in the Asian-Pacifica region and his country’s positions on them.

For the continuation of a dialogue and ensuring of a continuity of reached agreements, Edward Nalbandian invited Murray McCully to visit Yerevan.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Auckland’s Museum of World War II and laid a wreath at the memorial to the victims of the war.

On August 10 Edward Nalbandian met with Lockwood Smith, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of New Zealand.

The establishment of ties between the Parliaments of the two countries and creation of inter-parliamentary friendship groups were on the agenda of the meeting.

Lockwood Smith, presented the background of the reforms which provided the growth of New Zealand’s economy, as well as the process of their implementation.

On the same day Edward Nalbandian visited New Zealand’s Supreme Court where he had a meeting with Dame Sian Elias, the Chief Justice with an Armenian origin.
During the warm and cordial meeting the sides exchanged views on the development of the cooperation between Armenia and New Zealand, as well as the role of the Armenian community in New Zealand.

The agenda of Edward Nalbandian included a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community, during which the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented Armenia’s foreign policy, the steps undertaken towards the strengthening of Armenian-Diaspora ties and the goals and results of his visit to New Zealand. During the meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community, the possibility to create friendship group between Armenia and New Zealand was discussed.