Tuwhenuaroa
Natanahira
Political reporter
The prime
ministers of India and New Zealand have “elevated” the
relationship of the two countries into a strategic
partnership, with ambitions to double trade and bolster
maritime security by 2030.
Christopher
Luxon and Narendra Modi agreed to a ‘Roadmap to 2030’,
which features a number of commitments to improve
investment, technology, maritime security, education,
tourism, sport, agriculture, community and trade.
The
agreement was struck on Saturday morning after Modi was
welcomed by Christoper Luxon at Government House in
Auckland.
Modi accepted the wero, or challenge, laid
by members of the New Zealand Defence Force before
accompanying Luxon to inspect New Zealand’s Honour
Guard.
It’s the first time an Indian prime minister
has visited New Zealand in 40 years.
Both prime
ministers and representatives from their governments
gathered in the dining room for a formal bilateral
meeting.
Among those at the formal ceremony was
Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Defence Minister Chris Penk,
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign
Secretary Vikram Misri.
One notable absentee was
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston
Peters, who is visiting Singapore and Japan.
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Luxon
says the strategic partnership is a “major step” in the
relationship between New Zealand and India, and signalled
their ambition to “do more together”.
In a joint
statement, both prime ministers agreed to combat
transnational and organised crime, including illicit drug
trafficking, financial crime, cyber-enabled crime,
terrorism-related offences, people smuggling and human
trafficking.
The roadmap includes seven pillars, with
political and diplomatic engagement, defence and security
cooperation, and trade and economic cooperation making up
the first three pillars respectively.
On defence, both
governments want to deepen their maritime defence ties
including a commitment to conduct naval activities such as
bilateral naval exercises and engage on cyber security
priorities.
The roadmap includes a Maritime
Cooperation Arrangement (MCA) between the New Zealand and
Indian defence forces.
“New Zealand’s prosperity and
security depend on a stable and secure Indo-Pacific,” Luxon
said.
“That’s why we are stepping up practical
cooperation at sea and deepening how we work together and
share perspectives on maritime security.”
The roadmap
has no financial commitments and does not create any legally
binding rights or obligations.
Modi
arrived at Auckland Airport late Friday night and will
meet with prominent business and sports personalities on
Saturday
afternoon.
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