Indo-Pacific Outreach: Jaishankar to Make His First Visit to New Zealand from Oct 5-9

To strengthen India’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit New Zealand and Australia from October 5-11.

India and Australia have been members of the Indo-Pacific-focused QUAD grouping, while New Zealand has been a participant of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, which was recently held in Tokyo.

The visit also assumes importance in light of the fact that it is EAM’s first tour to New Zealand and comes weeks after Kiwi trade minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to India.

In the first leg of his Indo-Pacific tour, Jaishankar will be in New Zealand from October 5-9. On October 6, Jaishankar will be the guest of honour at the Indian Weekender Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame in Auckland, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be the chief guest, to honour and celebrate the contributions of Kiwi-Indians to New Zealand society. Both leaders will release India @75 postage stamps to commemorate and showcase ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ in New Zealand. EAM will launch the book ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’. Besides this, a book titled ‘Heartfelt – The Legacy of Faith’ is also expected to be launched by the New Zealand PM and India’s EAM, showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special bond with the Sikh community.

Jaishankar will also speak on ‘India’s Foreign Policy and Economic Outlook’ at an event organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand and Trade the Auckland Business Chamber.

The EAM will also hold a bilateral meeting with the foreign minister of New Zealand Nanaia Mahuta. This will be followed by a joint press briefing. Jaishankar will also interact with several ministers, including Priyanca Radhakrishnan, who is the first person of Indian origin to become a minister in New Zealand.

The EAM is slated to have interactions with the parliamentarians, members of the business community as well as Indian diaspora, including Indian students. On October 9, Jaishankar will inaugurate the newly constructed building of the High Commission of India in Wellington. The multi-facility complex has been built at a cost of about $90 million.

In the second part of his week-long tour, Jaishankar will be in Australia where he will visit Canberra and Sydney. It will be EAM’s second visit to Australia this year, the first being in February 2022 to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Melbourne. Jaishankar will hold the 13th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue (FMFD) along with his counterpart Penny Wong.

Jaishankar will also meet Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles. India and Australia have established 2+2 dialogue mechanism.

The first round of this dialogue was held in India, when erstwhile Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense minister Peter Dutton MP visited Delhi to hold talks with EAM Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. In Australia, Jaishankar will also interact with the Australian Navy, the media and a few think tanks, including the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

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