New Delhi: On Monday, Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, met with Kathleen Pearce, Head of the International Branch of the New Zealand Defence Ministry, in New Delhi, reaffirming his commitment to enhance collaboration in critical strategic areas.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) Spokesperson announced the details of their meeting in a tweet on X, stating that Ms Kathleen Pearce, Head of International Branch, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand, and Mr Patrick John Rata, NZ High Commissioner, called on Raksha Rajya Mantri @SethSanjayMP today. The meeting underscored strong defense links and a commitment to expand collaboration in important strategic areas.
Also on Monday, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met with Kathleen Pearce.
According to a post on X, Defense Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh met with Ms Kathleen Pearce, Head of International Branch, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand, and NZ High Commissioner Mr Patrick John Rata in New Delhi today. Both parties applauded the start of strategic engagement and agreed to strengthen defense ties.
The dedication to defense cooperation comes on the heels of the recently concluded second round of India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement negotiations in New Delhi, which saw considerable progress in a number of areas, including trade in products and services, investment, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and economic cooperation.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the talks were characterized by a shared desire to achieve early agreement on a number of topics. Both parties reiterated their commitment to reaching a balanced, broad, and forward-looking agreement.
The second round of talks for the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ended successfully on July 25 in New Delhi, furthering the shared aim of deepening bilateral commerce and economic ties.
India and New Zealand have long had friendly and cordial relations. The Ministry of External Affairs believes that similarities like as membership of the Commonwealth, common law traditions, and shared goals of achieving economic progress and prosperity through democratic governance structures for diverse populations in both countries give a solid foundation for strengthening friendly relations.
