India and New Zealand held a successful round of negotiations for a proposed trade pact on Friday — making significant progress on key points. Delegates from the two countries will meet in Delhi next month for fresh talks.
“The discussions reaffirmed the shared commitment of both nations to strengthen economic ties and work towards the early conclusion of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement…the negotiations reflected a common resolve to deepen bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation,” the commerce ministry said in an official statement.
Next round of talks in October
It also confirmed that the next round of in-person negotiations would take place on October 13 and 14 in New Delhi. The FTA was formally launched on March 16 this year and aims to bolster trade in various goods and services. India’s bilateral merchandise trade with New Zealand stood at $1.3 billion in 2024-25 — registering a growth of nearly 49 per cent over the previous year.
“The proposed FTA is expected to further boost trade flows, promote investment linkages, strengthen supply chain resilience, and create a predictable framework for businesses in both countries,” it added.
Early conclusion of India-EU FTA?
The meeting came even as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis voiced support for an early conclusion to the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. The sentiment was conveyed to PM Narendra Modi during a phone on Thursday to convey belated birthday greetings. Both leaders also welcomed developments in bilateral relations across sectors such as trade, investment, technology, shipping, defence, security, connectivity and people-to-people ties — reaffirming their commitment to further strengthen the India-Greece Strategic Partnership.
“A pleasure speaking with Prime Minister Mitsotakis today. Grateful for his warm birthday wishes. India-Greece Strategic Partnership continues to grow across trade, investment, connectivity, defence, security and people-to-people linkages. We reaffirmed our commitment to early conclusion of the India-EU FTA and to regional peace and security,” PM Modi wrote on X.