Kumar Bahukhandi
THE HAGUE: India and the Netherlands on Saturday May 17, 2026 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.
Ahead of the bilateral talks, PM Modi, along with Jetten, interacted with prominent CEOs of leading Dutch companies across various sectors such as energy, ports, health, agriculture trade, and technology, among others.
Modi invited Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India, particularly in maritime, renewable energy, digital technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and healthcare sectors.
“We are continuously reducing compliance and increasing the ease of doing business. We have recently carried out next-generation reforms in taxation, labour code, and governance,” he told the business leaders.
Modi said manufacturing in India is becoming very cost-effective, and in the services sector, it has become the engine of efficiency and innovation.
“We invite all of you to design and innovate in India. There can be no better time for this than today,” Modi said.
“Today’s India is a symbol of scale and stability. In terms of scale, we are also the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the world’s largest talent pool. Infrastructure, clean energy or connectivity – no one in the world can match India’s speed,” he said.
“And on the subject of stability, I have completed 12 years of serving as the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy. In these 12 years, with continuous reforms, we have transformed our economic DNA. Our direction has been clear – to give policy predictability to the private sector and increase opportunities for them,” he added.
Modi said his government has opened up every sector for the private sector, be it space, mining or nuclear energy.
The two prime ministers underlined the importance of early implementation of the India-EU-FTA.
(Source-PTI)
