Wellington, March 22: Calling India an “increasingly important partner”, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Saturday that the partnership between the two countries has “grown much stronger” during his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, earlier this week.
“India, the world’s most populous country, is an increasingly important partner for New Zealand. That partnership has grown much stronger during my visit this week,” Luxon said after returning home from an official visit to India from March 16-20.
“It was a pleasure to visit India this week and spend time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways to strengthen ties between our countries. I am delighted that negotiations on a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement have now been launched,” he added.
This was Luxon’s first visit to India in his current capacity – also the first by a New Zealand Prime Minister since October 2016. During their discussions, both Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of FTA negotiations for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial trade agreement to achieve deeper economic integration.
“India is one of the fastest-growing economies and on track to become the third largest in the world over the next 10 years. Our Government is relentlessly focused on growing our economy so that all Kiwis can do better, and the launch of negotiations presents an opportunity to do exactly that,” Luxon posted on X on Saturday.
Bolstering bilateral defence cooperation, the two countries have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Cooperation and noted the need for ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes of communication while agreeing that there needs to be regular dialogue to discuss enhancement of maritime safety.
“New Zealand’s commitment to regional security has also been reinforced, with New Zealand and India announcing a new Defence Cooperation Arrangement,” the New Zealand PM said on Saturday. During his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Luxon was also accompanied by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston; Ethnic Communities, and Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell; Todd McClay, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Agriculture, and Forestry; and, a high-level delegation comprising of officials, and representatives of businesses, community diaspora, media and cultural groups.
“On top of that, I and our business delegation focused on enhancing New Zealand’s presence in key sectors, including education, technology, tourism, investment, manufacturing, food and primary industries. Unlocking new business opportunities, 33 MOUs and other commercial outcomes were progressed on the mission, reflecting the growing partnerships between New Zealand and Indian businesses,” Luxon said after returning home.
IANS