WELLINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and Thailand will upgrade their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership by 2026, the prime ministers of the two countries said on Wednesday.

"New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build on our long-standing and warm relationship," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said after meeting with his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, in Bangkok.

The elevating of the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership is also to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, a New Zealand government statement cited Luxon as saying.

The prime ministers discussed opportunities to strengthen the relationship across defense and security, education, and people-to-people links, the statement said.

Economic cooperation was another key focus of the meeting, including setting a shared goal to triple two-way trade by 2045, it said, adding that Thailand is a consistent top 10 two-way trade partner for New Zealand. Enditem

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