India and Netherlands elevating ties to strategic partnership PM Modi after talks with Dutch counterpart

     The Hague, May 16 (PTI) India and the Netherlands on Saturday decided to elevate their relationship to the strategic partnership level following extensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten amid shifting global geopolitics.
     Modi began his two-day visit to The Hague on Friday as part of four-nation trip to Europe that is aimed at ramping up bilateral ties in a range of key areas.
     India and the Netherlands also inked a number of agreements to further enhance their cooperation in a range of areas.
     "There has been significant progress in India-Netherlands ties in last one decade," Modi said in his televised opening remarks during the talks with Dutch PM Jetten.
     Netherlands is one of India's largest trading destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade touching USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India's fourth largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
     In his remarks, the prime minister said India considers the Netherlands among its most important partners as the historical and people to people relations between the two sides are "deep" rooted.
     "Democratic values, market economy and responsible behavior are part of our common approach. Our cooperation in areas of Water, healthcare and education has been making the lives of our people better," he said.
     Modi also highlighted India's economic growth.
     The prime minister suggested that there should be convergence of the Netherlands' expertise and India's "speed and skill" in every sector.
     "We need to take our cooperation in areas of innovation, investment, sustainability and defence to new heights. Under this common vision, we are taking India-Netherlands relations to the level of strategic partnership," Modi said.
     In his comments, Jetten also highlighted various key aspects of growing ties between the two countries and announced elevating the relations to the level of strategic partnership.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)