McCully names new Ambassador to France   21 Apr 2010

McCully names new Ambassador to France

New Zealand’s next Ambassador to France will be career diplomat Rosemary Banks, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said today.

Ms Banks will also be accredited as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Portugal, and to the OECD, which is based in Paris.

“New Zealand enjoys a longstanding and warm relationship with France, encompassing a broad range of shared interests and values,” Mr McCully said.

“France is a key partner for New Zealand in Europe, and our economic links are significant. Two-way trade is worth around $2 billion; investment flows and business networks are expanding, and next year New Zealand will welcome thousands of French supporters for the Rugby World Cup.

“As a founding member of what is now the European Union, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a G20 country, France is an important international voice. France and New Zealand also cooperate closely in the Pacific in areas such as maritime surveillance and disaster relief,” Mr McCully said.

Ms Banks is currently Acting Deputy Secretary for multilateral issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was most recently New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and has previously served in Canberra, Honiara, and Geneva.

Ms Banks takes up her assignment in September, replacing Sarah Dennis.

ENDS

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