Wellington: India and New Zealand held the second edition of the Defence Strategic Dialogue in Wellington, discussing ways to expand military-to-military engagement through joint training exercises, cross-service personnel exchanges, and defence staff college partnerships across maritime, air, and land units.
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Amitabh Prasad and Deputy Secretary of New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence, Richard Schmidt, co-chaired the high-level talks held on Monday that focussed on advancing maritime security, joint military training, and overall defence cooperation.
During the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, according to the statement released by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday. Both sides expressed confidence that the actions taken during this dialogue will elevate defence and security coordination.
“Building on the shared framework established at the summit-level meeting last month, both delegations engaged in comprehensive discussions to advance the newly elevated Strategic Partnership. Key agenda items focused on implementing the strategic targets outlined in the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2030,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
During the visit, the Indian delegation held meetings with key leaders of the New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Defence to further anchor actionable strategic convergence. The Indian delegation held talks with the Vice Chief of Defence Force, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, and the Deputy Secretary Capability Delivery.
“These engagements focused on accelerating joint capital procurement insights, matching operational frameworks, and ensuring seamless coordination for upcoming engagements. The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement to accelerate the momentum via regular high-level and ministerial-level exchanges,” the Ministry of Defence stated.
In July, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Manila, with discussions held on the Indo-Pacific security situation and maritime cooperation. The meeting was held on the sidelines of ASEAN-related foreign ministerial meetings in Manila.
“A useful conversation with FM Winston Peters of New Zealand ASEAN Manila. Shared perspectives on the Indo-Pacific security situation and discussed enhancing our maritime cooperation,” EAM Jaishankar wrote in a post on X following the meeting.
(IANS)
