ASEAN and New Zealand Strengthen Post-Pandemic Cooperation | international
In the Twenty-ninth Dialogue between ASEAN and New Zealand. Photo: VNAJakarta (VNA) – Senior officials from ASEAN and New Zealand pledged to enhance their cooperation after ASEAN member states announced plans to reopen their borders.
This commitment was launched during the 29th ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue held on April 7 in the form of a video conference, and is part of efforts to promote economic recovery after the pandemic.
During the dialogue, delegates acknowledged New Zealand’s active role in the ASEAN-led mechanisms, and expressed their support for the regional bloc’s central role in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.
The two sides emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation through effective implementation of the ASEAN-New Zealand Action Plan 2021-2025 in areas such as countering terrorism, violent extremism, trade, investment, digital economy and micro, small and medium enterprises. (MSMEs), People-to-People Exchange Initiatives, Disaster Risk Management, Biodiversity Conservation, Agriculture Technology, Waste Management, Climate Resilience, Health, Cyber Security, Education… They also said they support the ASEAN Integration Initiative (IAI) ).
The two sides also expressed their willingness to complete the negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).
ASEAN officials said they want to resume initiatives that promote people-to-people exchanges, such as the ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative (YBLI) and the New Zealand Government Scholarship Program (NZAID). -VNA