India-Netherlands Virtual Summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in a virtual meeting discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte.

• During the Summit, the two leaders exchanged views on further expanding the relationship in trade and economy, water management, agriculture sector, smart cities, science & technology, healthcare and space.
• The two Prime Ministers also agreed on instituting a ‘Strategic Partnership on Water’ to further deepen the Indo-Dutch cooperation in the water-related sector, and upgrade the Joint Working Group on the water to Ministerial-level.
• Prime Minister Modi thanked the Netherlands for their support to International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). PM Modi also welcomed the Netherlands’ Indo-Pacific Policy.

India-Netherland Relations

India and Netherlands have shared cordial relations since Independence. India and the Netherlands share cordial and friendly relations underpinned by shared values of democracy, rule of law and freedom.

Areas of cooperation include:

• India and Netherlands have set up a joint working group on counter-terrorism. This would help the two nations learn from each other’s experiences. While India has a long history of tackling terrorism, the Netherlands is a part of the coalition that is fighting ISIS.
• Bilateral trade between the two nations was around 6 Billion Euros in 2014-15. Also, India was the fifth largest investor in the Netherlands. and the Netherlands being the third largest investor in India.
• Netherlands has long experience in harnessing wind energy. Thus the two nations can collaborate in this sector as India attempts to increase the contribution of clean energy for sustainable development.
• The Netherlands supports a permanent seat for India at the UN Security Council.
• Netherlands is a country whose significant area lies below the sea level. Hence, it has faced devastating floods. India can benefit from that experience to tackle the problem at home.

• Netherlands is home to the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe.
• There are lucrative opportunities for Dutch companies in the following sectors of India’s economy: agri-food, logistics (ports, shipping and inland waterways), technology (the automotive and defence industries) infrastructure and water management, energy, health, chemicals and creative industry.
• Exports from the Netherlands to India include machinery, optical equipment, cast iron and steel. The main Dutch imports from India are mineral fuels, including oil.
• The Netherlands and India maintain close relations in the fields of education and science. For instance, there are exchange programmes with various universities, and Indian and Dutch scientists conduct joint research. The Dutch government provides grants to Indian students
• Stemming from the 17th and 18th centuries when the Dutch East India Company (VOC) had trading posts in India.
• The Netherlands seeks to preserve that heritage, so this is an important area of cultural cooperation. Besides common cultural heritage, other focuses are the visual arts, film, new media, music and design.