New Zealand urges US to be 'active partner' in Indo-Pacific

ISTANBUL

New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country needs the US as an “active partner” in the Indo-Pacific region.

“My view of the strategic partnership between New Zealand and the United States is this: we each have the right, indeed the imperative, to pursue our own foreign policies, driven by our own sense of national interest,” Peters said.

Speaking in the US state of Hawaii during a visit, Peters outlined his view of bilateral ties, according to a transcript released by the New Zealand government.

He said New Zealand and the US are working to strengthen prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and confirmed the ongoing cooperation with Washington.

Peters said his government is “looking forward” to working with the Trump administration, and added: “New Zealand wants, indeed needs, for the United States to remain an active, engaged and constructive partner in the Indo-Pacific.”

He also met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 18.

After the meeting, Peters said ties with the US remain on a "strong footing."