EAM Jaishankar meets New Zealand Dy PM Peters on sidelines of Asean meet

Earlier on July 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory phone call from his New Zealand counterpart on his victory for the third time in the general elections

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Vientiane, Laos. In his post, the External Affairs minister said he "enjoyed" meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand.

"Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket, " the External Affairs minister said on X.

 

Earlier on July 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory phone call from his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, on his victory for the third time in the general elections and the two leaders, during their interaction, reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come.

"Noting that India-New Zealand ties are anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, both leaders reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come," per the press release from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime Minister Modi also thanked counterpart, Luxon, for looking after the interests of the Indian community in New Zealand.

"Highlighting the momentum generated by recent high-level contacts between the two sides, they agreed to advance mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various areas, including trade and economic cooperation, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, education, and space, among others," the MEA release read.

"Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Luxon for looking after the interests of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand. Prime Minister Luxon assured of continued efforts towards their security and well-being," it added.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting is being held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday to review and discuss the progress made in the implementation of various activities. Laos holds the chairmanship of ASEAN this year and has been working under the theme of "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.