India-New Zealand 2030 Roadmap: PM Modi, Luxon seal pacts to double trade, deepen maritime security and more

India and New Zealand on Saturday officially elevated their bilateral ties to "strategic partnership" as they laid out the roadmap to 2030 with trade targets set at NZ $7 billion. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Auckland, the two nations agreed to bolster ties across trade, agriculture, security, innovation and people-to-people ties over the next four years.

According to the formal joint statment released after bilateral and delegation-level talks, the two prime ministers "decided to elevate the bilateral relationship to a 'Strategic Partnership'" and endorsed the "India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030" as "a framework to guide joint action over the next four years."

The Joint Statement further noted that the two leaders "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."

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PM Modi is on an official visit to the country as part of the final leg of his three-nation tour, which also included Australia and Indonesia. The visit was seen as a historic milestone since it was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years.

Trade worth NZ $7 billion on the cards

When it comes to strengthening trade and economic cooperation, the two countries agreed to "work towards an aspirational goal of doubling bilateral two-way trade in goods and services to NZD 7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030." The plan also stated that both sides "work together on next steps for the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement to ensure its early entry into force and effective implementation."

The two prime ministers "welcomed the conclusion and signature of a balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)" and agreed "to work together to ensure its early entry into force and effective implementation."

The two sides also sealed the deal on a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Cooperation Between the Ministry of Defence of India and the New Zealand Defence Force. This would advance maritime security cooperation and interoperability between the two nations in the Indo-Pacific region and promote domain awareness, joint exercises, HADR and capacity building.

More in store

The two countries also agreed to establish a Maritime Security Dialogue, which strengthens cooperation, coordination and information exchange in the domain of maritime security and deepens engagement on numerous maritime issues between the two countries.

"The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening cooperation on counter terrorism, cyber security, and related security challenges. They agreed to explore opportunities for closer engagement, including through dialogue and collaboration in relevant regional and multilateral settings, with a view to supporting international peace, security, and resilience," the joint statement read. "They agreed to work towards the early formalisation of arrangements on counter-narcotics cooperation and law enforcement cooperation between the relevant Indian and New Zealand agencies," it furthered.

Apart from this, the prime ministers welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and the National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand. With this, they reaffirmed the importance of "strengthening bilateral cooperation in disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience building, with a view to enhancing the resilience of communities, infrastructure, and institutions in both countries."

They also pledged to advance "research, innovation and practical solutions to support more sustainable, productive and climate-resilient agriculture and food systems."

Overall, in the joint statment the two leaders directed top officials of their respective nations to maintain close engagement and ensure timely implementation of the initiatives set out in the Roadmap to 2030. They agreed that progress would be reviewed regularly by Ministers and senior officials.

"Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Luxon and the Government and people of New Zealand for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation. The two leaders agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and to realise the full potential of the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership," the joint statement read.