Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi paid offical visit to The Netherlands in June 2017.
The visit marked 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and The Netherlands.
Prime Minister Modi thanked the Netherlands for its role in India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016.
The Netherlands expressed its support for India’s early membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement. For the Australia Group the Netherlands welcomed India’s recent application for membership.
The Prime Ministers agreed to continue their joint efforts to strengthen a free, open and secure cyberspace. They stressed the importance of the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS) as a unique platform where strategic cyber issues are discussed in a representative high-level multi-stakeholder setting. In this context, India’s decision to host the next GCCS on in November 2017, after the Netherlands hosted the 2015 edition, was welcomed.
The Prime Ministers noted a significant expansion in bilateral economic and commercial engagement. The Netherlands is the 5th largest source of Foreign Direct Investment for India.
The two Prime Ministers appreciated the joint collaborations in the field of water and waste management, big data, crop sciences, public health and medical technology. They commended the ongoing projects in the field of water and waste management under the Dutch Indo Water Alliance Leadership Initiative (DIWALI) in Vadodara and Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS) in Delhi.
Prime Minister Modi encouraged the Dutch Pension Funds to participate in India’s National Infrastructure Investment Fund.
Prime Minister Modi invited the Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance [ISA].
With 20% of India’s exports to Europe entering through the Netherlands, the Prime Ministers discussed the role of the Netherlands as India’s ‘Gateway to Europe’.
The Netherlands hosts the second largest Indian diaspora in Europe.
As a step towards forging deeper bonds, the two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of agreements on cooperation in the field of water management, culture and social security.
