WELLINGTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of New Zealand and Indonesia held talks in Auckland on Friday, focusing on practical areas including food security and renewable energy.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono reviewed the New Zealand-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership and its 2025-2029 Plan of Action, according to a statement from the New Zealand government.
Peters described Indonesia as an indispensable partner for New Zealand, noting the progress made toward their goal of 6 billion NZ dollars (about 3.57 billion U.S. dollars) in two-way trade by 2029.
New Zealand sees Indonesia as a long-term partner and has ambitions to further grow the relationship as the two countries approach 70 years of diplomatic ties in 2028, Peters said, adding both sides should step up efforts to remove trade barriers, strengthen economic cooperation and make the most of improved air links.
The ministers also discussed cooperation on agriculture, education and important regional and global developments, released a joint statement setting out the full range of discussions and agreed on next steps following the talks. ■
