New Zealand has become a member of the 43-nation Asia-Europe Meeting, the government announced Monday, dpa reported.
The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) comprises the 27 countries in the European Union and 16 Asian countries. It is the main multilateral channel for communication between Asia and Europe, according to the European Commission.
New Zealand, Australia and Russia have been approved as part of a new membership grouping for countries not from the Europe Union or Asia.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully told the New Zealand Herald that he was likely to attend the group's next meeting, in Brussels in September.
"This will be a gathering of countries that have a key influence over many things that happen in other places. It is just a conversation we wouldn't want to miss out on," McCully said.