Megaphone diplomacy and lecturing others is not the New Zealand way to conduct foreign relations, says outgoing Foreign Minister Murray McCully.
New Zealand’s default position is to be respectful, he said tonight on an independent foreign policy in a farewell speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs in Wellington.
“In pursing principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, we try to be constructive and ask ourselves whether others who might be the focus of critical scrutiny need a lecture, or need some help.
“The New Zealand way should always be to offer help.”
NZFOI: Yet NZ in co-sponsoring UN Resolution 2334 would suggest the opposite. In not crowing about it, is he acknowledging that it was in fact, a diplomatic gaffe? NZ has had a longstanding policy of being even-handed when approaching the Arab-Israeli conflict. R2334 was a significant departure from that longstanding policy.
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