President Pranab Mukherjee has said that India is willing to work towards an early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand, keeping in mind the need to find a satisfactory resolution of mutual concerns.
Speaking to reporters on-board the aircraft during his return from Auckland at the end of his two-nation tour last night, President Mukherjee said India and New Zealand have covered much ground in their negotiations for inking the FTA which began in 2010.
He said that the government is carefully examining various dimensions of it.
The President said the country has also come a long way in agriculture, adding that the Indian Middle Class numbering nearly 300 million has developed an appetite for various goods.
Outlining the outcome of his visit to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, President Mukherjee said it has provided a new momentum to the foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. He said the visit has been able to take forward the government's Act East policy.
An MoU on an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair of Indian Studies in the University of Victoria was signed just before his departure.
The New Zealand Government also announced a new scholarship scheme for Indian students, who constitute the fastest growing group of international students in the country. The President has since returned home.
