He will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts in New Zealand and Australia and attend special events

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be visiting New Zealand and Australia from October 5 to October 11, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.

This will be his first visit to New Zealand. On October 6, EAM Jaishankar and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will attend an event in Auckland to honor members of the Indian community in New Zealand for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions.

To commemorate and showcase "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" in New Zealand, both leaders will also release India@75 postal stamps.

EAM Jaishankar will launch the book ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’. A book showcasing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s special bond with the Sikh community ‘Heartfelt - The Legacy of Faith’ will also be released.

His schedule includes a bilateral meeting with New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta in Auckland to discuss and evaluate the whole range of bilateral relations between the two countries, the MEA said in its press release.

He will also interact with several ministers, including Minister for the Community & Voluntary Sector, Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, and Youth Priyanca Radhakrishnan, the first person of Indian descent to hold the office of Minister in New Zealand, as well as with parliamentarians, members of the business community, and members of the Indian diaspora, including Indian students. Later, he will inaugurate the Indian High Commission's brand-new building in Wellington.

According to the MEA, the External Affairs Minister will visit Canberra and Sydney while in Australia. This would be EAM Jaishankar's second visit to Australia this year; the first being in February 2022 to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Melbourne.

Additionally, EAM Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will hold the 13th Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue (FMFD) during the visit. He will also meet with Richard Marles, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Australia. During the visit, he will engage with the Australian Navy, the media, and think tanks like Sydney's Lowy Institute.