India's Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar met with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Paris on Monday, February 21.
The two Foreign Ministers are visiting Paris for the Ministerial Forum for Co-operation in the Indo-Pacific, co-hosted by the European Union and France as the current President of the Council of the European Union.
Foreign Ministers from all of the 27 European Union member states and a range of countries from the Indo-Pacific region have been invited to participate in the Forum.
Sharing the details of the meeting on Twitter Dr S. Jaishankar said, "Glad to meet New Zealand FM @NanaiaMahuta. Interesting exchange of perspectives on the Indo-Pacific from our respective vantage points. Also discussed opportunities to expand our bilateral partnership."
Notably, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is on a multi-nation foreign trip to Europe from the last weekend as part of New Zealand's plan to reconnect with the rest of the world, aiming to participate in several regional and UN engagements.
Earlier, when leaving New Zealand for meetings in Europe last weekend, Mahuta had said, “This trip is an important step in reconnecting New Zealand to the world, and an opportunity to present our values and interests to key partners as we move forward in a post-COVID world,”
“The Indo-Pacific Forum in Paris will be an important opportunity to engage on key issues facing our region and to ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand’s voice and perspectives on issues affecting us and our Pacific partners are well registered,” Nanaia Mahuta said.
Meanwhile, the Indian envoy to New Zealand Muktesh Pardeshi also shared the bilateral meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two nations on Twitter affirming that the two leaders committed themselves to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries.
India’s External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar and NZ Foreign Minister @NanaiaMahuta meet in Paris on 21 Feb to carry forward their discussions held virtually 3 months ago. A renewed momentum in ties.