External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar has said, India values Netherlands support for closer India-EU ties and conclusion of Free Trade Agreement(FTA). Dr Jaishankar said this in a social media post after meeting his Dutch counterpart David van Weel in New Delhi today. The External Affairs Minister said, they discussed bilateral cooperation including trade, defence, shipping, water, agriculture, health and culture of both nations.
The Minister added that both sides also discussed new opportunities in semiconductors, talent mobility and renewables. Both the ministers exchanged views on multilateral cooperation and global issues of both nations. The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that both leaders noted the significant progress of the partnership in recent years and reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthen the strategic dimension of the relationship. They appreciated the regular high-level exchanges, including the recent meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Netherlands counterpart Dick Schoof on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg last month.
The Ministry said that the Indian side looked forward to welcoming Prime Minister Dick Schoof for the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 in New Delhi. The Dutch side reiterated the invitation to Prime Minister Modi for an official visit to the Netherlands to further strengthen and elevate the bilateral relationship. The Ministers welcomed the endeavour of both sides to expand the partnership into new areas of emerging technologies including semiconductors, defence, digital, AI, renewable energy, green hydrogen, education and mobility. They underscored trade and economic ties as one of the key pillars of the India-Netherlands partnership. They noted that the decision to establish a Joint Trade and Investment Committee will help deepen cooperation, address trade facilitation issues and promote bilateral investments.
Recalling the rich maritime history of India and the Netherlands, the Ministers welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat. They also discussed further strengthening ongoing cooperation in the maritime and shipping sectors, particularly in areas of green shipping, port development and shipbuilding. During his three day visit to India which concluded today, the visiting dignitary held meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He also visited a Dutch Semiconductor company in Noida.
