Historic Visit After Four Decades
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Muanpuii Saiawi, on Thursday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to New Zealand as "historic," marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Pacific nation in 40 years. Speaking ahead of PM Modi's arrival on July 10, Saiawi said extensive preparations have been made in coordination with the New Zealand government to ensure the visit is both substantive and memorable.
"Tomorrow we will be receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will indeed be a very historic visit because it will be after 40 years that any Indian Prime Minister has come to New Zealand. I have been working very closely with the New Zealand government to make this a very memorable visit in terms of the substance as well as the form and the protocol in logistics," she said.
Bilateral Relations Rooted in Trust
Highlighting the strength of bilateral relations, the High Commissioner said India and New Zealand share warm and friendly ties built on mutual trust. "India and New Zealand have warm and friendly relations, and our relations are formed based on mutual trust," she added.
The visit comes after the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries in April this year. Saiawi said this agreement would further strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors. "We recently signed a free trade agreement in April this year, and this relationship will only go forward in terms of trade and commerce, maritime cooperation, people-to-people, culture, tourism and counterterrorism," she said.
High-Level Engagements Scheduled
Expressing optimism ahead of the high-level engagements, Saiawi added, "We cannot wait to have the bilateral engagements happen on 11 July." Prime Minister Modi will be visiting New Zealand as part of the last leg of his three-nation tour after his engagements in Indonesia and Australia.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), PM Modi will travel to Auckland from Melbourne at the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon for an official visit from July 10 to 11. "This will be the first official visit of an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in four decades," the MEA stated.
Discussions and Diaspora Engagement
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Luxon and review the entire spectrum of India-New Zealand relations, which have witnessed significant progress over the last two years, particularly in trade and commerce and defence cooperation. While in Auckland, PM Modi is also scheduled to interact with prominent business and sports personalities.
Reflecting the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister will address a large gathering of the Indian diaspora during the visit, the MEA said. The two sides are also expected to discuss cooperation in areas including maritime security, culture, tourism, education, and counterterrorism.
