Parliamentarians attend regional parliamentary forum and visit South Korea

Members of Parliament Lindsay Tisch, Iain Lees-Galloway and Denise Roche are attending the 21st Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Vladivostok, in the Russian Federation, from 27-31 January. Prior to attending the forum, they made a 3-day bilateral visit to the Republic of Korea. New Zealand and South Korea recently marked 50 years of bilateral engagement.

The APPF, which has 27 member countries, is a forum for parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific region to identify and discuss issues of mutual concern, with the aim of strengthening understanding and encouraging regional cooperation. New Zealand hosted the forum’s annual meeting in 2008. All the New Zealand delegates hope to deliver speeches over the course of the event, and New Zealand is sponsoring a draft resolution supporting trade in the region.

The focus of the visit to South Korea is to build relationships between the two parliaments, and to reinforce New Zealand’s commitment to the bilateral partnership.

The Speaker of the House, Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, said attendance at the APPF and the bilateral visit provided a valuable opportunity for the parliamentarians and would be of wider benefit to New Zealand. “Inter-parliamentary relationships strengthen New Zealand’s international profile, build links between nations, and provide opportunities for New Zealand parliamentarians to engage on the global stage.”