India and New Zealand held the second edition of their Defence Strategic Dialogue in Wellington on August 24, with discussions focused on strengthening maritime security, expanding military cooperation and deepening the two countries’ newly elevated Strategic Partnership.
The high-level dialogue was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, and Richard Schmidt, Deputy Secretary in the New Zealand Ministry of Defence.
The talks built on the framework established during the India-New Zealand summit-level meeting held last month and focused on implementing the objectives outlined in the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2030.
Focus on military cooperation:
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and discussed ways to expand military-to-military engagement.
The discussions included proposals for greater cooperation through joint military exercises, cross-service personnel exchanges and defence staff college partnerships involving maritime, air and land forces.
The two delegations also reviewed measures to strengthen operational coordination and develop greater understanding of each other’s defence capabilities and requirements.
Senior-level engagements:
During the visit, the Indian delegation held meetings with senior officials from the New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Defence.
The delegation met the Vice Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Commander Joint Forces New Zealand and Deputy Secretary Capability Delivery.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in areas including defence procurement, operational frameworks and coordination for future bilateral engagements.
Push for regular defence exchanges:
The two sides agreed to maintain the momentum through regular high-level and ministerial-level exchanges, with the objective of translating the Strategic Partnership into greater practical defence cooperation.
Both countries expressed confidence that the outcomes of the dialogue would further strengthen defence and security coordination and reinforce defence cooperation as an important pillar of India-New Zealand relations.
