Big leap in security cooperation during PM Modi’s visit to New Zealand. India and New Zealand will fight shoulder to shoulder against terrorism. A joint working group has been formed for this. Both countries also committed to reforms in the Indo-Pacific region and the UN.
auckland [न्यूजीलैंड]July 11 (ANI): Announcing a major leap in security cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India and New Zealand have pledged to fight terrorism “shoulder to shoulder” by setting up a dedicated Joint Working Group. At the same time, both countries have also strengthened their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and comprehensive reforms of the United Nations.
Addressing a gala lunch hosted in his honor by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Auckland, PM Modi highlighted that the two countries stand as reliable partners who together are capable of addressing current global challenges. PM Modi said, “Friends, India and New Zealand are reliable partners and close friends even on the global stage. We believe that to meet the challenges of the present times, reform of global institutions, including the United Nations, is necessary. To move forward shoulder to shoulder on the issue of terrorism, we have today constituted a Joint Working Group. Cooperation between India and New Zealand is extremely important for peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.”
Highlights of the joint statement
Reflecting these priorities, the India-New Zealand joint statement reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to “a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region” where sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected, and the rules-based international order is upheld. The two leaders also reaffirmed “freedom of navigation and overflight” in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and international law.
On multilateral cooperation, the joint statement stressed the need for “bold and effective UN reform” and reaffirmed support for the expansion of the UN Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. New Zealand also reaffirmed its support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
‘Zero-tolerance’ policy of terrorism
The two Prime Ministers reiterated their “complete condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism”, and also strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, and the terrorist incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, 2025. Calling for a “zero-tolerance and consistent approach” towards terrorism, the leaders stressed the need to dismantle terror infrastructure, disrupt terrorism financing networks and safe havens, and bring perpetrators to speedy justice.
Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism
The joint statement welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Arrangement to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which will provide a framework for information and knowledge sharing between the two countries.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in multilateral fora, including the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and stressed the urgent need for all countries to take “immediate, sustained, concerted and concerted action” against UN-proscribed terrorist organizations, their affiliates, proxies, sponsors, financiers and supporters.
Other cooperation and global issues
Beyond security, the joint statement underlined cooperation through ASEAN-led regional mechanisms, support for ASEAN’s centrality, resilient global supply chains, universal nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in addressing conflicts including the Middle East and Ukraine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day official visit to New Zealand from July 10-11 at the invitation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years, with the two countries upgrading relations to a strategic partnership and adopting a Roadmap 2030 to increase cooperation in trade, defence, technology, security and regional affairs. (ANI)
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