Kathmandu [Nepal], May 28 : New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters has arrived Kathmandu on his maiden two days' visit to the Himalayan Nation.
Peters was received by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai at the airport along with other Foreign Ministry officials.
The New Zealand Foreign Minister is scheduled to make courtesy meeting with Nepali President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday itself.
Apart from the President and the Prime Minister, Peters will also conduct bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba. He also will be holding meeting with leader of opposition and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today itself.
Deputy PM Peters tomorrow will embark on Everest flight and visit the heritage sites of Kathmandu, as per the Foreign Ministry of Nepal. Visit of Peters comes a day ahead of the Everest Day.
It was New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa who first summited the Everest. On Thursday, Winston Peters, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand will depart for India.
According to a media advisory of the Ministry of External Affairs, India Peters will arrive
in Delhi at 3:35 pm at IGI Terminal 3 on Thursday. Later in the evening, at 6:30 pm, he will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Hotel Taj Mahal.
On Friday, May 30, Peters is scheduled to meet JP Nadda, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, at the Hotel Taj Mahal at 3:30 pm. His departure is scheduled for 9:55 pm on the same day.
India and New Zealand have historically shared close and cordial ties. Similarities such as membership of the Commonwealth, common law practices and pursuing shared aspirations of achieving economic development and prosperity through democratic governance systems for diverse communities in both countries (NZ prides itself as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with 213 ethnicities officially recorded) provide an excellent backdrop for deepening the friendly ties, according to MEA.
Tourism and sporting links, particularly in cricket, hockey, and mountaineering, have also significantly facilitated goodwill between the two countries. Both countries share commitments to human rights, global peace, a rules-based international order, ecological preservation, and combating terrorism.
People-to-people contacts have flourished since migration from India began around the 1860s. New Zealand has approximately 3,00,000 persons of Indian origin and NRIs, a vast majority of which has made NZ their permanent home.
India and New Zealand have shared significant high-level visits over the years, which have strengthened the bilateral relations. In 1968, Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, visited New Zealand, contributing to the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
In 1986, Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, visited New Zealand, further advancing the dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. In 2016, Former President Pranab Mukherjee conducted a state visit to New Zealand from April 30 to May 2, and in August 2024, President of India Droupadi Murmu paid a state visit to New Zealand.
New Zealand has seen several high-level visits to India, including Prime Minister John Key's state visit from October 25 to 27, 2016. Other notable visits include Prime Minister John Key's visit in June 2011, Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand's visits in January 2011, October 2010, and September 2008, and Prime Minister Helen Clark's visit in October 2004.
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