Wellington, June 22, 2016- The Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Gerry Brownlee, received today at the Beehive the Ambassador of Cuba, Mario Alzugaray, holding a positive exchange on the progress of the bilateral relations, as well as issues of mutual interest at the international level.
Both parties reaffirmed the interest in continue promoting friendly ties between Cuba and New Zealand, stressing the importance of coordination in multilateral fora, cooperation in the Pacific and the development of joint projects in the livestock sector, in which the southern country has a vast experience.
The Cuban diplomat briefed minister Brownlee on developments in his country, as well as the recent announcement by the Trump Administration, in the sense of reversing the progress experienced in relations between Cuba and the USA in the last two years, highlighting the irrationality of a policy that has failed for more than half a century. He also expressed Cuba´s gratitude for New Zealand support in condemning the US blockade and its position in favour of the good momentum reached following the announcements by Presidents Raul and Obama on December 17, 2014. (Embacuba NZ)