New delhi: India and New Zealand have reached an agreement to enhance their security and defense cooperation following the inaugural India-New Zealand Defense Strategic Dialogue held in New Delhi.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced that both nations deliberated on security perspectives and explored ways to bolster bilateral cooperation. During the dialogue, they expressed satisfaction with the ongoing defense collaboration and identified opportunities to enhance joint efforts, particularly in training, capability building, defense industry, maritime security, and multinational cooperation.
The discussions also focused on advancing the White Shipping Information Exchange to enhance information sharing between the two countries. This Strategic Dialogue was established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and New Zealand in March 2025.
India and New Zealand share a broad spectrum of cooperation that includes political, defense and security collaboration, capacity building, and education. The developments in their defense dialogue reflect mutual trust, shared democratic values, and strong people-to-people ties, further strengthened by a mutual love for cricket, as highlighted in the statement.
The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) of the Indian Ministry of Defence, and Kathleen Pearce, Head of the International Branch at the Ministry of Defence of New Zealand. During her visit, Kathleen Pearce also met with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi.