(23 Aug 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wellington – 22 August 2024
1. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters sitting during interview
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
"Well, the challenges in the region have been, well, they obviously they’ve been, the need for more climate change resilience, or ensuring that low lying islands are safer. We’ve had to build over the years a number of energy transition plans so that, they’’ll be more independent, won’t have to constantly rely upon these low oil deliveries on a constant basis. But there’s medical, there’s educational, there’s the chance to ensure that, as we, you know, we came out of a COVID crisis, that we played our role there. That’s very, very complicated. But it’s something that our country has been committed to for over 120 years. And we want to make sure that we do not neglect our role. We do not vacate or leave vacuums, as we did in the last three years."
3. Peters during interview
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
"Well, a number of other influences were starting to get engaged. We started to make traction. We’re starting to get an influence because if you are not there as an influence, then other influences that don’t share your values might seriously fill the vacuum. And that has happened. And we’re in a contestable space and our position is to make sure that the Pacific island nations have their eyes wide open, like we need to, about the circumstances strategically that we are living in."
5. Peters speaking
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
"I’m talking about, for example, the chequebook diplomacy that is the policy of some countries. You can itemise who those countries are. I don’t point the finger. I’m just saying we don’t do diplomacy that way. We do it in way of grants. We ensure that the money doesn’t come with all sorts of attachments other than proper auditing, because we regard them as sovereign, independent countries. See the difference? They don’t have any strings or tags to them, like some countries have."
7. Peters speaking
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
"My question is, why do they have to be loans? Why we got the idea of chequebook diplomacy? If it’s a good idea and you want to help, (inaudible) application for advancement passes muster, pass investigation, then that’s what our foreign aid is alongside Australia’s, alongside so many other countries who want to join in now. It doesn’t come with strings attached so that you have to condemn other countries to go with it. See what I mean? We don’t challenge the independence of the nations we are dealing with. We say small states matter and that their voice has a right to be respected as much as ours or any larger country."
9. Peters speaking
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
"Well I believe that like-minded countries like New Zealand will have to deal with that issue, because I know that some of these countries cannot pay it back. See what I mean? And when that happens, then all sorts of influences untoward as they might sometimes be, gain the influence that was designed behind the loans in the first place."
11. Pan from Peters’ hands to Peters speaking
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
13. Close of Peters’ hands
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
15. Peters speaking
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Winston Peters, New Zealand Foreign Minister:
17. Peters speaking
STORYLINE:
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e6e592ed4edf4b8fa4af0e3c21b483ee
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in August 28, 2024, 12:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
