NEW DELHI
\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart agreed on Monday to deepen their security and economic ties, as the two countries announced the revival of talks for a free trade agreement.
\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on a five-day visit to India with the biggest-ever delegation to accompany a Kiwi premier on a foreign trip, comprising officials, and community and business leaders.
\nModi and Luxon met in New Delhi where they signed agreements on enhancing cooperation in defense, education and sports.
\n\u201cWe had detailed discussions on various aspects of our bilateral relations.
\nWe have decided to strengthen and institutionalize our defense and security partnership,\u201d Modi said during a joint press briefing.
\nTheir defense ties will include joint exercises and training, with plans for mutual cooperation in the sector\u2019s industry, he added.
\nOn Sunday, the two countries agreed to revive free trade negotiations that have been stalled for over a decade, following talks between New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal.
\n\u201cIt has been decided to start negotiations on a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries,\u201d Modi said.
\n\u201cMutual cooperation and investment will be encouraged in areas like dairy, food processing, and pharma. We have given priority to mutual cooperation in the areas of renewable energy and critical minerals.\u201d
\nBilateral trade between India and New Zealand stood at about $1.7 billion in the 2023-24 financial year.
\n\u201cIt is through trade that we can boost the economies of both our countries, providing more jobs and higher incomes for Kiwis and Indians,\u201d Luxon said in a statement.
\nIndians are the biggest source of skilled migrants, the third-largest ethnic group and the second-largest source of international students in New Zealand.
\n\u201cI think you\u2019re seeing an Indian government that\u2019s been incredibly generous and very, very welcoming to New Zealand, and it speaks to the way that they also want to deepen this relationship,\u201d Luxon said.
\n\u201cWe have brought the biggest delegation that\u2019s ever accompanied a Prime Minister \u2026 because we actually want to make this as big as it possibly can be, because the size of the prize is immense.
\n\u201cAnd actually, what\u2019s this all about? It\u2019s about actually cashback into Kiwis\u2019 pockets and we do that by growing our economy and expanding our trade opportunities.\u201d
\nNew Zealand is an \u201cimportant component\u201d of India\u2019s Indo-Pacific policy, said Dr. Udai Bhanu Singh, former senior researcher at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.
\nBut strengthening ties with the Pacific country is likely part of Delhi\u2019s ongoing efforts to broker trade deals with other nations after US President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods from countries, including India.
\n\u201cIndia is facing tremendous pressure from Trumpian policy of reciprocal tariffs and it would like to keep its options open as far as possible,\u201d Singh told Arab News.
\n\u201cEven though this coming together may have been precipitated by Trump\u2019s tariff assertion, the fact is that New Zealand and India are finding common grounds to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart agreed on Monday to deepen their security and economic ties, as the two countries announced the revival of talks for a free trade agreement. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on a five-day visit to India with the biggest-ever delegation to accompany […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467658,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-467648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n