Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his trip to New Zealand on Friday, marking the first visit by a leader of the South Asian nation in 40 years.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon received Modi at the airport.
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit New Zealand since former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit in October 1986.
Soon after landing in Auckland, Modi said he looked forward to holding talks with Luxon and discussing the "complete range" of the India-New Zealand "friendship."
The visit "is set to strengthen bilateral ties and unlock new avenues of cooperation across several areas, especially trade, defense, sports, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges," Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.
The visit comes amid tensions within the coalition government in New Zealand after it signed a free trade agreement with India earlier this year.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, whose New Zealand First party has opposed the deal, is expected to skip Modi's trip while visiting Japan.
India and New Zealand recorded a total trade value of $1.75 billion in 2023-24.
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