In Indo-Pacific, ‘might makes right’ approach is unacceptable: New Zealand PM
PM Luxon said India plays such a central role globally and New Zealand backs New Delhi’s bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council
NEW DELHI: India plays a key role in the Indo-Pacific since its geo-strategic importance is crucial in an increasingly multipolar world, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday as he endorsed New Delhi’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening session of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, Luxon emphasised the need for a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and made it clear that a “might makes right” approach is unacceptable.
Luxon made the remarks after inaugurating the Raisina Dialogue along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The fallout of the trade and security policies of the Donald Trump administration in the US, the reshaping of the global order and the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are set to dominate this year’s edition of the conference, which is being attended by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and foreign ministers of about 20 countries, including Ukraine, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Norway.
India plays such a central role globally and New Zealand backs the country’s bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council, Luxon told a gathering that included the visiting world leaders, diplomats and officials.
“We must go forward with great confidence as we live at the heart of the world’s most exciting and dynamic region – the Indo-Pacific,” he said. “There is no prosperity without security.”
New Zealand’s approach towards the Indo-Pacific is also based on safeguarding its interests in a fast evolving dynamic region.
“As New Zealand looks to protect and advance our interests in the Indo-Pacific , we can only do so alongside partners like India that have a significant role to play in the Indo-Pacific region,” Luxon said.
“In an increasingly multipolar world, India’s size and geo-strategic heft gives you autonomy,” he contended.
“We want to live in an Indo-Pacific where the countries are free to choose their own path free from interference, a region where no one country comes to dominate,” Luxon said with an eye on China, whose actions across the region, especially in the context of territorial disputes, have evoked concern.
New Zealand, he added, is working with other Pacific Ocean countries to boost capacities and help them in making “independent choices free from interference”.
“My government is investing in key relationships – from traditional partners to deepening our relationships across Southeast Asia and in a serious way with India too,” he said.
Luxon described the Quad – which groups India, Australia, Japan and the US – as an “important vehicle” to promote an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. “And India’s contribution to the evolution of the Quad has been vital,” he said.
While New Zealand has no intention of becoming part of the Quad, it is prepared to work to advance the grouping’s initiatives, he indicated.
Luxon also said New Zealand will boost defence cooperation with like-minded countries such as India. During talks between Modi and Luxon on Monday, the two sides finalised an agreement for wide-ranging defence cooperation, including joint training and exchanges.
The situation in the Indo-Pacific also figured in the talks between Modi and Luxon, and they reaffirmed their commitment to an open, inclusive, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific where sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected, according to a joint statement.
The two countries also backed the right of freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the seas in accordance with international laws, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).