India, New Zealand sign defence pact; 'will continue joint fight against terrorism', says Modi

India and New Zealand on Monday (March 17) inked a mega pact to institutionalise their defence and security ties even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed concerns to his Kiwi counterpart over certain unlawful elements carrying out anti-India activities in the Pacific island nation.

Modi and visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held wide-ranging talks with a focus on ramping up overall bilateral ties, especially in areas of trade, defence, education, and agriculture.

In his media statement, Modi said both sides decided to strengthen and institutionalise the defence and security partnership and a roadmap will be prepared for cooperation in the defence industry sector.

‘Terrorism unacceptable’

"We both are unanimous against terrorism. Whether it is the Christchurch terrorist attack of March 15, 2019, or the Mumbai attack of November 26, 2008, terrorism in any form is unacceptable," he said.

The prime minister said strict action is necessary against those guilty of terrorist attacks.

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"We will continue to cooperate together against terrorist, separatist, and radical elements. In this context, we shared our concern about anti-India activities by some illegal elements in New Zealand," said Modi.

Modi said India is confident that it will continue to receive cooperation from the New Zealand government against all these "illegal elements".

Free trade pact

The prime minister also referred to India and New Zealand deciding to start negotiations for a mutually-beneficial free trade pact.

"This will boost the potential of mutual trade and investment. Mutual cooperation and investment will be encouraged in areas like dairy, food processing, and pharma," he said.

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Modi said India and New Zealand support a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.

"We believe in the policy of development, not expansionism," he said.

‘Highly-productive meeting’

The New Zealand prime minister said Modi and he discussed a challenging strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific.

"I reiterated our strong commitment to address shared concerns over our respective interests in contributing to a prosperous Indo-Pacific," Luxon said.

He described the meeting as a very highly-productive one.

“I hope that our meeting has left PM Mod with no doubt about the profound depth of New Zealand’s commitment to building a deep and enjoying relationship with India,” said the New Zealand prime minister.

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Sports relationship

PM Modi recalled the shared relationship between the two countries in sports like cricket, hockey, and mountaineering.

“We have also decided to celebrate 100 years of sports relationship between both countries in 2026. We have decided to work on an agreement to simplify the mobility of skilled workers and address the issue of illegal migration,” said the Indian prime minister.

Modi said the two countries have collaborated in sports science, sports coaching, exchange of players, medicine, and psychology.

(With agency inputs)