New Zealand reaffirms strong support for the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

During his bilateral visit to Indonesia 19-20 October, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully called on the Executive Director of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Mr Hidetoshi Nishimura, at the ERIA offices in Jakarta.

This was the second time the Minister has visited ERIA, a signal of New Zealand’s strong support for the work of ERIA in providing policy support for the economic ambitions of ASEAN and EAS Leaders.

Mr McCully and Mr Nishimura discussed the possibility of using New Zealand’s second tranche of funding support to ERIA for economic capacity building activities. They also signaled support for further regional economic integration and connectivity in the region.

Mr McCully welcomed Mr Nishimura’s recent visit to New Zealand for the JEF-NZIIA symposium and looked forward to increased linkages between ERIA and New Zealand.