NEW DELHI: New Zealand and India share a dedication to do extra collectively to fulfill safety challenges within the Indo-Pacific and each side need the area to be characterised by respect for the rule of legislation and peaceable decision of disputes, New Zealand’s overseas minister Winston Peters mentioned on Wednesday.

Peters and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar agreed throughout their assembly on Tuesday to work collectively to unlock extra alternatives and improve the bilateral relationship, he mentioned as he wound up his four-day go to to India. Peters travelled to New Delhi and Gujarat to take ahead ties in areas starting from safety to commerce.

New Zealand’s coalition authorities has given precedence to enhancing relations with India to generate future advantages for each side. “It is clear that New Zealand and India share common strategic perspectives about the security challenges our Indo-Pacific region faces as well as a commitment to do more together to meet them,” Peters mentioned.

“New Zealand and India are two countries that can, should and will be doing more together,” he mentioned, including that his go to demonstrated a joint dedication to investing extra in constructing a broad-based, mutually helpful relationship.

Referring to his assembly with Jaishankar, Peters mentioned they agreed to work collectively to unlock extra alternatives and to realize a “step-up in the relationship”, together with additional high-level political visits in each instructions throughout 2024.

In New Delhi and Gujarat, Peters’ discussions on commerce and financial ties targeted on areas resembling training, agro-technology, air connectivity and tourism, and the potential that may be tapped via an enhanced financial partnership.

During the go to, an enhanced air providers settlement between the 2 nations got here into drive, making code-sharing on providers between India and New Zealand simpler. “While it is ultimately a commercial decision for our national carriers, we are confident that direct flights between New Zealand and India are within sight in the next couple of years,” Peters mentioned.

Besides Jaishankar, Peters additionally met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Peters mentioned his discussions with Indian leaders encompassed the strategic safety and defence relationship, commerce and financial cooperation, efforts to fight local weather change, and social and cultural hyperlinks.

New Zealand and India are democracies working with like-minded companions resembling Australia and Japan to make sure an Indo-Pacific characterised by respect for the rule of legislation, freedom of navigation and peaceable decision of disputes, he mentioned.

“These shared principles lie at the heart of New Zealand’s push for an enhanced bilateral relationship with India, as well as deeper cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region – including with Pacific Island countries,” he added.

India’s significance to New Zealand’s society, economic system and safety can be rising. The Indian diaspora in New Zealand numbers 300,000 and India is New Zealand’s second-largest supply of worldwide college students and largest supply of expert migrants.

Peters additionally participated in an occasion alongside representatives of Pacific Island nations and the Indian authorities and companies to discover how New Zealand and India can work collectively on financial connectivity with the Pacific. “New Zealand and India both have deep historical, cultural and commercial ties into the Pacific Islands region – and we need to be doing more together there,” he mentioned.