Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Cook Islands today to meet with the Prime Minister and Cabinet members, and to conduct discussions regarding the Pacific Forum Leaders' meeting to be held in Rarotonga in August of this year.

“New Zealand and the Cook Islands have a special and long standing relationship,” Mr McCully said.

“My visit is an opportunity to discuss issues of shared interest as well as the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum, which the Cook Islands will be hosting in August.

“As the current Chair of the Forum, New Zealand is committed to meeting regularly with Pacific leaders and we also want to pass on to the Cook Islands Government the lessons we learned from hosting the Forum last year.

“While in Rarotonga I will also be visiting some of the projects the New Zealand Aid Programme is funding."

15 February 2012