Auckland/New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) India is one of the world’s most important rising powers and the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes at a crucial time as New Zealand adapts to an increasingly multipolar world, New Zealand Member of Parliament Phil Twyford said on Friday while welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country.

Speaking to IANS in Auckland, Twyford said India has emerged as a political and economic powerhouse in Asia and that New Zealand stands to benefit from a deeper partnership with the country.

“He’s the Prime Minister of India. India is one of the most important rising powers in the world. We now live in a multipolar international environment. There’s no longer just one superpower; there are many. And New Zealand’s foreign policy has to catch up with that fact. So the free trade agreement with India is very timely in that respect. And we welcome the Prime Minister coming here,” he said.

Calling Prime Minister Modi’s visit “very significant,” Twyford said the signing of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement marks an important milestone in bilateral ties.

“This is a time for a little country like New Zealand to have a free trade agreement with India. It’s a very significant development in our relationship with India as a political and economic powerhouse in Asia, emerging as a great power. For New Zealand to have this deepening relationship, not just on a trade level, but on every kind of level, including people-to-people connections, that’s very important for us,” he told IANS.

Twyford also highlighted the opportunities for collaboration in technology and innovation, saying New Zealand could benefit from India’s expertise and strong technology ecosystem.

“One of the benefits for a country like New Zealand, working more closely with India, is that we have access to many of the big Indian firms, the technology and the expertise. For us, digital technology is right up there in terms of our need to develop our economy. So there are huge opportunities for us to work together in that space,” he said.

–IANS

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