[UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

Kia ora Ivan,

 

Thank you for your OIA request received on 27/06/25 for:

 

Key communications from the last 10 years relating to New Zealand’s
diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Côte
d’Ivoire, the Republic of Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
Principality of Andorra, and the Republic of Kosovo.

 

Specifically, I am seeking:

 

·       Formal letters, diplomatic notes, and briefing papers exchanged
between MFAT and the governments of these countries concerning the
establishment or refusal of diplomatic relations.

 

·       Internal MFAT advice or memos discussing policy decisions related
to establishing or not establishing diplomatic relations.

 

·       If any of the requested information is already publicly available,
please direct me to those sources.

 

This email confirms receipt of your request and advises that we will
respond to it as soon as reasonably practicable, and in terms of the
timeframes and requirements of the OIA.

 

Please note that our response letter to you (with your personal details
redacted), and any enclosed documents, may be published on the Ministry’s
website.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

 

UNCLASSIFIED

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

Kia ora Ivan,

We are writing concerning your OIA request below, to advise that responding to your request as currently framed would require review of a significant amount of information, to locate information potentially in scope.
As such, it is likely that your request will be refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation and research.

Accordingly, we are seeking your agreement to clarify the use of the term 'Diplomatic relations' in your request.
The term ‘diplomatic relations’ takes a number of forms, and while we have diplomatic relations with the entities you have referred to in your request, the totality of ‘relations’ between New Zealand and these partners is a large volume of correspondence, which will take a significant amount of time to collate and provide to you.
You may find section II of Satow’s Diplomatic Practice (Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, 2009) instructive as it identifies the various examples of where diplomatic relations may exist between entities.

Further, we are suggest narrowing the scope of your request to just 1 country and the timeframe to 1-2 years, so that the amount of research that needs to be undertaken can be completed within the time constraints of the OIA.

Could you please reply with your clarification by 12pm Tuesday 15th July.

Ngā mihi

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

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