PM Narendra Modi New Zealand Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the last stop of his foreign tour of three countries. He reached New Zealand on Friday (July 10). This is the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to New Zealand after 40 years. On Saturday (July 11) morning, a delegation level bilateral meeting was held between PM Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Government House in Auckland. In the meeting, both the countries made a big announcement of upgrading their bilateral relations to a ‘strategic partnership’.
The two leaders also approved the ‘Roadmap to 2030’, which will be the main framework for the joint development of both the countries for the next four years.
Warm welcome to PM Modi
On reaching New Zealand, PM Christopher Luxon himself welcomed PM Modi with a hug. At the same time, PM Narendra Modi was welcomed at the Government House with very special and traditional customs of Maori culture. Several important agreements (MoUs) were exchanged in the defence, trade, technological and cultural sectors in the presence of both the Prime Ministers.
Defense and Naval Security: It was agreed between the two countries to strengthen defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and increase joint naval exercises. A special agreement was also reached on hydrography and conservation of marine heritage.
Free Trade Agreement: Both countries expressed their commitment to fully implement the recently signed historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as soon as possible. PM Laxon said that with this agreement, there will be no tariff (fee) on 57 percent of exports from New Zealand to India.
Target to double the business: Both countries have set a target of doubling bilateral trade to 7 billion New Zealand dollars (about Rs 35,000 crore) by 2030.
Dairy, Food Tech and Agriculture Research: It has been agreed to create a global food value chain by combining New Zealand’s dairy science and horticulture technology and India’s large consumer market and agri-tech talent.
Apart from this, important agreements were also signed in the fields of disaster management, sports, tourism, culture, ocean research and food technology.
Joint meeting with business leaders and CEOs
Immediately after the bilateral talks, PM Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon participated in a special interactive session with selected CEOs and senior business leaders of both the countries. During this, PM Modi said that today India is the fastest growing big economy in the world. Our growing middle class, large-scale adoption of digital technology and emphasis on infrastructure make India a unique growth story.
He said that in India we have made ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ the basis of governance. Today India has policy stability, political stability and continuity of development. So, our message to the world today is – India is not just a market, but India is a launch pad for global growth.
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