Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon have held wide-ranging discussions seeking to deepen their defense and economic ties.

India and New Zealand have restarted free trade talks a decade after negotiations fell apart, as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon began his five-day tour of Delhi. He is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day. The two sides have agreed to begin the first round of negotiations next month.

New Zealand exported $1.29 billion in goods and services to India in 2024, while imports stood at $1.47 billion, totalling $2.77 billion in bilateral trade. India ranks 15th among New Zealand’s trading partners,

India has started negotiations on a free trade deal with New Zealand as the countries seek to strengthen economic ties amid rising uncertainty in global trade.

After a gap of about ten years, India and New Zealand on Sunday announced resumption of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement to boost economic ties, moments after Kiwi Prime Minister Christopher Luxon landed in New Delhi.

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