HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters)– New Zealand Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee met with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in Havana on Tuesday (June 27) as part of an official visit to the Caribbean island to boost bilateral ties.
New Zealand is one of the world’s strongest developed economies and is increasingly looking towards Latin America as an area to build on trade. Both Wellington and Havana have already cooperated on a series of ventures relating to the agricultural sector, and recently Cuba announced its support for New Zealand to secure a spot in the United Nations Security Council.
Brownlee’s visit to Cuba is a side trip ahead of the Pacific Alliance Summit in Colombia. Together New Zealand and Latin America encompasses a market of some 630 million people.
Although New Zealand does have extensive military and intelligence cooperation with the United States, New Zealand has chosen not to take part in the US embargo of Cuba. Recently, the Trump government announced it would roll back some of the policies of former President Barack Obama that led to a warming of ties between Havana and Washington.