External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today said India and New Zealand have a particular responsibility in forging a post-colonial order, which is fairer and more equitable. He stressed that it will provide prosperity and stability to large parts of the world.
Speaking at joint press interaction with the Foreign Minister of New Zealand in Auckland, Dr. Jaishnkar said both countries should play to each other’s strengths, which specifically meant business, education, technology, digital world, agricultural trade, talent, and most of all people to people connect.
The External Affairs Minister also took up the issue of Indian students impacted by Covid measures. He urged expeditious visa processing of those desirous of studying in New Zealand now.
Dr. Jaishankar will participate in an event along with Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern to felicitate members of the Indian community in New Zealand later in the day for their exceptional achievements and contributions.
Both leaders will release India@75 postage stamps to commemorate and showcase Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Zealand. He will launch the book Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery. A book showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special bond with the Sikh community ‘Heartfelt – The Legacy of Faith’ will also be released.
New Zealand and India formally announced today an end to their talks on a Free Trade Agreement, concentrating instead on ‘business relationship.’
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta told a Press Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland this afternoon that ‘A Free Trade Agreement with India was not among the priorities of her government.’
She was accompanied by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who is currently on an official visit to New Zealand.
Following an hour-long bilateral meeting held at the Auckland Museum, preceded by a Powhiri earlier, Ms Mahuta said that there were other ways of strengthening relations with India.
“Our emphasis has shifted from a formal FTA to business relationship, where there is enormous potential. We are seeking opportunities for engagement in specific industries that will benefit both countries. We will continue to work with India and use the existing and emerging opportunities,” she said.
Describing New Zealand’s relationship with India as ‘complicated and historic,’ Ms Mahuta said that Dr Jaishankar’s visit to New Zealand marked the first by an Indian Foreign Minister in 21 years (the previous visit was that of Jaswant Singh in 2001) and propitiously coincided with the marking of 70 years of diplomatic ties.
She said that the reopening of borders has provided a timely opportunity to re-engage with India and that Mr Jaishankar’s visit follows two previous meetings that she had with him in the past and the September 2022 visit of Trade Growth Minister Damien O’Connor to New Delhi.
“People form a significant part of our diplomatic relations and our two countries have built our relationship on common grounds of democratic, Commonwealth and other values. In recent years, we have come together to jointly address global issues and challenges such as Climate Change and the Covid pandemic. We see greater cooperation with India in areas such as the digital economy and green business. We recognise that there are niche areas in which we can derive mutual benefit,” she said.Ms Mahuta said that she discussed opportunities for expanding the relationship and cooperating in new areas, such as climate change and sustainable agriculture.
“We aspire to develop opportunities in the economic, cultural, technology and services sectors, and to strengthen people-to-people links. We are changing immigration settings to attract high-skilled migrants with a clear pathway to residency for globally hard-to-fill roles. We anticipate there could be opportunities for high-skilled migrants from India through the green list, such as dairy farm managers and ICT roles,” she said.
Ms Mahuta said that New Zealand’s progress towards joining the International Solar Alliance, which India and France established in 2015 as an example of new areas of cooperation.
The Alliance promotes solar energy through research, development and innovation and mobilises investment for affordable solar energy around the world, including the Pacific.
“We also discussed India’s interest in joining the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, which promotes international cooperation and research to find ways to grow more food without growing greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.
| Posted by Sameer Khan | 
