New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said Tuesday he will be pushing for a reaffirmation of trade liberalization at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this week.

Groser, who leaves for Davos Tuesday, is to attend the Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders as well as the 2012 WEF meeting from Jan. 25 to 29.

"This is a unique opportunity for New Zealand to engage with some of the world's top economic decision makers on how we should respond to the shifts now taking place in the world economy, and on the implications for New Zealand," Groser said in a statement.

Groser will also attend a meeting of Trade Ministers to discuss the future of the multilateral trading system following the eighth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference.

"In the wake of the most severe downturn in 70 years, the binding commitments made in the WTO provide us with a clear safeguard against the rise of protectionism. It is vitally important that political leaders reaffirm these commitments and maintain their resolve to continue moving forward on trade liberalization, keeping us on the path towards global economic recovery," Groser said.

He would take the opportunity to meet with some of his counterparts to discuss progress on New Zealand's trade agenda, he said.

The theme of this year's conference is "the Great Transformation: Shaping New Models" and the program will focus on issues arising from transformation of developed countries deleveraging without falling back into recession and emerging countries curbing inflation and avoiding economic bubbles.

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