The Netherlands is a special friend and valued partner for India
Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi will visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands from November 8-10, 2023 to give further impetus to the strong bilateral relations between the two countries. 
 
During her visit, MoS Lekhi will interact with various stakeholders from the government, legislature, and multilateral institutions, as well as the Indian community, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday (November 6, 2023).
 
The Netherlands is a special friend and valued partner for India. The two countries share broad and multifaceted cooperation, including in political & strategic, trade & investment, water, agriculture, health, climate action, science & technology, innovation and education, the MEA noted.
 
India and the Netherlands also have a Strategic Partnership on Water.
 
At the same time, with the largest Indian diaspora in the European Union, people-to-people ties are both historical and integral to India-Netherlands relations. “The visit will further enhance our strong bilateral relations,” the MEA said.
 
REGULAR HIGH-LEVEL EXCHANGES
 
India and the Netherlands share a strong bilateral relationship marked by regular exchanges at both political and official levels.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 10, 2023.
 
During this meeting, Prime Minister Modi discussed ways to deepen the bilateral partnership, including cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security, clean energy and green hydrogen, semiconductors, cyber and digital technology, among others.
 
In February this year, India and the Netherlands agreed to explore opportunities for further collaboration in cyber security with the involvement of respective stakeholders. The issue was discussed at the second Cyber Dialogue in New Delhi.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind paid a State visit to the Netherlands in April 2022 to commemorate 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two nations.
 
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited India in August 2022 in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development and G20 GPFI Honorary Patron.
 
These visits were preceded by the successful Virtual Summit held in April 2021 between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Rutte when the Strategic Partnership on Water was launched.
 
The Partnership provides the necessary impetus to expand the bilateral water cooperation and is a joint effort of Indian and Netherlands Governments, recognizing the importance of Sustainable Development Goals, water safety, water availability and water quality for wellbeing and sustainable development of the present and future generations.