A Saudi and New Zealand joint ministerial group ended a two-day series of meetings in Auckland on Friday with an agreement to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The committee’s minutes were signed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, and New Zealand Minister of Trade and Export Growth David Parker.

Saleh Al-Nuweiser, charge d’affaires of the Saudi Embassy in New Zealand, and representatives of the government bodies took part in the meetings.

Al-Fadhli said: “Trade between the two countries has witnessed remarkable development in past years, rising from SR675 million ($16 million) to about SR3 billion in 2016.”

He said the committee will contribute to the development of sustainable cooperation in all fields.

Abdulaziz Al-Hewesh, director-general of the ministry’s General Administration of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation, said that the joint ministerial committee recommended strengthening work and partnerships to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the fields of diplomacy and justice, trade and investment, consumer protection, standardization, finance and banking, as well as cooperation in the fields of energy, industry, mineral wealth, information technology and sports.

The committee “is a confirmation of the friendly relations and common interests between the Kingdom and New Zealand,” he said.