Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 1, 2022
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will be in New Zealand next week on a six-day visit during which he is expected to engage in talks with his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This is the first official visit by an Indian Foreign Minister in the last 20 years.
The last high-level official visits were that of the Ministers of the Congress government (Kamal Nath in 2008 and Anand Sharma 2011).
Breakfast Meeting on October 6
Dr Jaishankar’s visit is seen as significant and as a ‘serious opportunity’ for New Zealand to replenish its image and seek closer cooperation with India, which is increasingly being recognised as the ‘Supreme Economic Powerhouse of the World.’
We have not received details of any of the official engagements of Dr Jaishankar in New Zealand (we understand that he will officially inaugurate the new, $90-million Indian High Commission multi-facility complex on Sunday, October 9, 2022), but Simon Bridges, Chief Executive of the Auckland Business Chamber has stolen the thunder by organising a Breakfast meeting at the Residence Room in Park Hyatt Hotel in Auckland CBD at 7.15 am on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at the Residence Room in Park Hyatt Hotel located at 99 Halsey Street in Auckland’s Central Business District. Registration for the meeting will be at 6.45 am.
Dr Jaishankar will speak on ‘India’s Foreign Policy and Economic Outlook’ and tickets, priced at $55 plus GST per person can be purchased from https://aucklandchamber.co.nz/event-calendar/
Speaking to Indian Newslink, Mr Bridges said that he was happy to hear of the visit of Dr Jaishankar and seized the earliest opportunity to organise the Breakfast meeting.
“I vividly recall the robust and friendly discussions that I had with Dr Jaishankar in New Delhi in 2019 during my first visit to India in September 2019. He is a man of erudition, and wide experience and understands trade and commerce. He explained India’s stand on various issues and the measures being taken by his government to achieve higher levels of growth,” he said.
Enormous potential
In an interview published in our September 15, 2019 issue, he described the opportunities for New Zealand as enormous.
“At the moment, we do about $3 billion in two-way trade. The obvious comparison is with China where we have a colossal $30 billion and growing,” but at that time, like former Prime Minister John Key, he was firm on a high-quality Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.
Mr Bridges however agreed that there are some caveats and requirements to be considered.
“Big trade agreements like this are very difficult. Firstly, the relationship will require work, a lot of it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team who are sky-high in popularity at the moment do not need us and do not need to focus on us. There are so many other things for them to focus on.
I am looking forward to his speech and the Questions and Answers Session at the forthcoming Breakfast meeting,” he said.
Impressive Career
Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was appointed to the post of External Affairs Minister following the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a second term after the nationwide general elections held in April-May 2019. He is a Member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament representing the BJP.
Dr Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and over a distinguished career of 38 years as a diplomat, he served in varied capacities at the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi and India’s diplomatic missions overseas. He was India’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, High Commissioner to Singapore and Ambassador to the United States of America and played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Agreement.
Following his retirement, Dr Jaishankar joined Tata Sons as President (Global Corporate Affairs), In 2019, he was a recipient of ‘Padma Shri,’ a high civilian honour, the same year, he became the first Foreign Secretary to join the Federal Cabinet as the External Affairs Minister.
New Signal
Mr Bridges believes that the ensuing visit of Dr Jaishankar to New Zealand signals a new beginning,’ ‘spelling a new set of opportunities for New Zealand to meaningfully engage with India,’ including revisiting trade and business potential.
He summed up the language of engagement. “It (engagement with India) has to be approached in a modern way with sophistication. It is not just about selling more stuff, particularly dairy. We are not and will never flood this market. We want to do more with India, not just sell more.”
