India and Netherlands on Saturday agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship between the two countries to the strategic partnership level after wide-ranging discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in The Hague.
The announcement came during PM Modi’s two-day visit to the Netherlands. Currently, PM Modi is on multi-nation Europe tour aimed at strengthening India’s strategic, economic, and technological ties with key European partners.
During the discussions, the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, defence, technology, water management, clean energy, healthcare, and education. Several agreements were also signed to strengthen collaboration in key sectors.
Addressing the meeting, PM Modi said India-Netherlands relations had made “significant progress” over the past decade and described the Netherlands as one of India’s key European partners.
He said the bilateral relationship is anchored in shared democratic values, robust economic cooperation, and strong people-to-people ties.
Highlighting cooperation in sectors like water management, healthcare and education, PM Modi said, “Democratic values, market economy and responsible behavior are part of our common approach.”
Emphasising the need for deeper cooperation in emerging sectors, Modi said India and the Netherlands should leverage Dutch expertise along with India’s “speed and skill” to enhance collaboration in innovation, sustainability, investment, and defence.
Announcing the elevation of ties to s strategic partnership, PM Modi said, “We need to take our cooperation in areas of innovation, investment, sustainability and defence to new heights.”
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten also highlighted the increasing importance of ties with India and backed stronger cooperation in strategic and economic sectors.
Ahead of the bilateral talks, PM Modi and Jetten jointly participated in a CEO Roundtable in The Hague attended by leading Dutch companies from sectors such as energy, ports, agriculture, healthcare, and technology.
During his interaction, PM Modi invited Dutch companies to expand investments in India, specifically in renewable energy, semiconductors, digital technology, artificial intelligence,maritime infrastructure, and healthcare.
Highlighting India’s rapid economic growth and reform-oriented business environment, PM Modi said the country had implemented major changes in taxation, labour laws, and governance to enhance the ease of doing business.
The Prime Minister said, “Today’s India is a symbol of scale and stability,” adding that India has rose to become world’s fastest-growing major economy, retaining one of the largest global talent pools.
“We are continuously reducing compliance burdens and enhancing the Ease of Doing Business. Recently, we implemented next-generation reforms in taxation, labour codes and governance,” he said.
During the visit, PM Modi and PM Jetten also witnessed the signing of an agreement between Tata Electronics and ASML to support India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat.
