The United States and New Zealand held a strategic dialogue at the US State Department in Washington on Wednesday as part of their ongoing bilateral discussions, according to a State Department press release.
US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns opened the Dialogue with New Zealand's Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade John Allen; Chief of Defense Force Rhys Jones; Secretary to the Treasury Gabriel Makhlouf; and Deputy Secretary of Defense Bede Corry.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James P. Zumwalt led the discussion and welcomed the productive efforts of the United States and New Zealand to jointly tackle key challenges, the press release said.
The two sides discussed issues of global concern and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, and reiterated their commitment to continuing to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and New Zealand.
The US delegation included representatives from the Departments of State and Defense, the National Security Staff, and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The New Zealand delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Defense, the New Zealand Defense Force, and Treasury.
The two sides said after the discussions that they looked forward to holding the next Strategic Dialogue in the second half of 2013, the press release added.
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