Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon agreed to advance the “mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation” in various areas, including trade and economic cooperation, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, education and space, in a telephonic conversation on Saturday.

“Noting that India-New Zealand ties are anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, both leaders reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come,” per a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday.

Luxon congratulated  Modi on his re-election following the general elections in India.

The areas identified by the two leaders for mutual cooperation, such as trade, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals and space, were also discussed in a series of bilateral meetings in April this year during the visit of an Indian delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal, to New Zealand.

The two sides decided to set up working groups in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, storage & transportation, forestry and pharmaceuticals to facilitate ongoing collaboration on key trade and economic issues.