Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India and New Zealand agreed to work towards doubling bilateral trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion, or approximately Rs 35,000 crore, by 2030. This decision was taken during when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, met for talks on July 11. Both the leaders welcomed the momentum in trade and economic ties between the two countries.
PM Modi visit marked the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Auckland in 40 years. The two leaders held delegation-level talks and encouraged businesses to deepen ties, explore opportunities, and build on complementarities between the two economies.
In a joint statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wrote that PM Modi and Luxon agreed to “an ambitious long-term vision for the Strategic Partnership, which aims to take bilateral relations to a new level, strengthen existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore new avenues for deepening cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.”
Citing the long-standing friendship, shared democratic values, strong people-to-people connections, and common interests in the Indo –Pacific , the two leaders agreed to upgrade India-New Zealand ties to a Strategic Partnership.
The two sides also approved the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030, which will serve as the framework for bilateral cooperation over the next four years.
The two leaders welcomed the growing momentum in high-level political engagement and agreed to maintain regular reciprocal visits and meetings between their Prime Ministers and ministers, including on the sidelines of regional and multilateral forums.
