MEA clarified that the India-New Zealand FTA is not for immigration but for 'mobility of skilled manpower'. Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said visas are a sovereign NZ decision and announced the elevation of the relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said that immigration was the most misunderstood part of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The Ministry differentiated between immigration and 'mobility of skilled manpower', with commitments for the latter already put in the FTA.Addressing a special media briefing during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to New Zealand, Secretary (East) in the MEA, Rudrendra Tandon said that visas are a sovereign decision of a country. "So on the issue of immigration, there is a lot of misunderstanding. The FTA is not an agreement for immigration. Immigration and mobility of skilled manpower are two different issues altogether. The commitments that were crafted in the FTA pertain to mobility of skilled manpower under the existing laws that New Zealand has," he said.

Visas a Sovereign Decision

"On visas, the visa... this is actually a question you need to address to the New Zealand side. That's a sovereign decision. In the sense that as long as our businesses can work, our students get to study, they get the exchanges as planned by the two sides are taking place. Visa decision and conferring visas is a sovereign decision that we can't really comment upon at this juncture. We have to go by that sovereign decision," he added.

India-NZ Relationship Elevated to Strategic Partnership

Tandon also said that the discussions between the two Prime Ministers basically sought to move the relationship forward. "But let me talk to you a little about what was achieved, to give you a flavor of it. The discussions between the two Prime Ministers basically sought to move the relationship forward. One of the most significant decisions that were taken, which you may have heard about already... I've been watching the news so far... is the decision by the two Prime Ministers to raise the relationship to a Strategic Partnership.""They also decided that this goal of a more strategic relationship would be approached systematically, for which they decided that there would be a roadmap to take us forward for the next couple of years. This roadmap has been summarized, in fact, in a document which is being released along with the joint statement that the two Prime Ministers are issuing at the conclusion of their talks, which you would have also seen," Tandon added.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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