Asia-Pacific army officers discuss peacekeeping at New Zealand meeting

Military experts from around the Asia-Pacific region are in New Zealand this week to discuss ways of improving peacekeeping operations, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced Tuesday.

The NZDF was hosting more than 28 experts and eight observers from 23 countries for the three-day annual conference of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centers ( AAPTC) in Auckland.

The representatives of 17 full AAPTC member countries' armies would discuss training and preparation for international peace operations, New Zealand Chief of Army Major General Dave Gawn said in a statement.

Under the theme "Promoting Best Practices for Peace Operations Training," they would focus on discussing training packages for use of force, rules of engagement and patrolling.

This year's conference goal was to build a directory of institutional expertise to develop a pool of knowledge and skills, as well as to agree the calendar events and requirements for the next two years.

"New Zealand is seen as a trusted partner on peace operations within our geographical region, and beyond,"said Gawn.

"Our primary focus is on protecting and assisting our own southwest Pacific region, and this conference helps us to continue to build on our already strong links with our closest allies and partners."

The meeting, which opened Tuesday, would allow the armies to learn from one other and develop protocols for future peacekeeping operations where they could be working closely together.

The NZDF had been involved in peacekeeping operations and UN missions around the globe, including in Timor Leste, Iraq, Kosovo, the Republic of Korea, the Middle East and Sinai.

The member states represented included Australia, China, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan and the Republic of Korea.