India and New Zealand on Saturday elevated their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership and adopted the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030, outlining an ambitious framework to strengthen cooperation in trade, agriculture, security, innovation and people-to-people ties over the next four years.
According to the India-New Zealand Joint Statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership and endorsed the Roadmap to 2030 as a framework to guide joint action across key sectors.
The leaders also agreed on a long-term vision aimed at taking bilateral relations to a new level by strengthening existing cooperation mechanisms and exploring new avenues for engagement at both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Prime Minister Modi is on an official visit to New Zealand from July 10-11 at the invitation of Prime Minister Luxon. The visit marks the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in four decades.
Under the roadmap’s trade and economic cooperation pillar, both countries agreed to work towards doubling bilateral trade in goods and services to NZD 7 billion (approximately ₹35,000 crore) by 2030.
The roadmap also outlines cooperation on the next steps for the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to ensure its early entry into force and effective implementation.
The Joint Statement welcomed the conclusion and signing of the balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA, with both leaders agreeing to work together for its early implementation.
The leaders noted that the FTA would strengthen the bilateral economic partnership by reducing trade barriers, expanding cooperation and encouraging greater New Zealand investment in India.
The statement also noted that New Zealand could contribute to India’s Viksit Bharat vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047 through cooperation in trade, agriculture, skills development, innovation, clean energy, sports and other sectors.
On customs cooperation, both sides agreed to operationalise the 2025 Authorised Economic Operators Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AEO-MRA) under the 2024 Customs Cooperation Arrangement (CCA) to simplify customs procedures and facilitate trusted trade.
The two countries also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Arrangement on Tourism and encouraged airlines to begin direct non-stop flights between India and New Zealand.
In agriculture, both leaders agreed to deepen collaboration in horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry and dairying. They welcomed the Agricultural Productivity Partnership under the FTA, including cooperation on productivity action plans for kiwifruit, apples and honey, support for Centres of Excellence for kiwifruit in India, and the conclusion of a Memorandum of Cooperation on Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
The Joint Statement also welcomed continued dialogue between India’s Directorate General of Shipping and Maritime New Zealand to strengthen mutual recognition of seafarer competency certificates, aimed at enhancing seafarer mobility and expanding maritime cooperation between the two countries.
-ANI
