Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a high-profile visit to the Netherlands with the elevation of India–Netherlands ties to a Strategic Partnership, signaling a wide-ranging agenda for future cooperation across technology, climate resilience, and security.
Both governments framed the upgrade as a transformational step backed by a shared roadmap emphasizing next-generation industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space, alongside cooperation on green hydrogen, defence manufacturing and technology transfer, and climate-smart infrastructure.
Posting on X, PM Modi said the visit “added new momentum” to bilateral ties and highlighted expanded cooperation in water resources, semiconductors, innovation, defence, sustainability and mobility. He thanked Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten for his hospitality and noted his confidence that the friendship between the two countries will strengthen further.
A central feature of the visit was Modi’s inspection of the Afsluitdijk, the 32-kilometre Dutch barrier that protects low-lying land from the North Sea while supporting navigation, freshwater storage and renewable energy. Accompanied by Prime Minister Jetten, Modi used the site visit to underline the global relevance of Dutch water-management expertise and its applicability to India’s Kalpasar Project in Gujarat — a proposed freshwater reservoir and dam system across the Gulf of Khambhat.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs and its spokesperson emphasized the engineering lessons and technologies the two countries intend to share, from flood protection and irrigation to inland waterways and coastal resilience. The Afsluitdijk’s ongoing modernisation, known as Afsluitdijk 2.0, includes advanced discharge systems, fish passages and tidal and solar installations — features India hopes to adapt to its own coastal projects.
The visit also produced concrete deliverables: India and the Netherlands signed 17 bilateral agreements to deepen collaboration in defence, critical minerals, emerging technologies, agriculture, healthcare and mobility. A migration and mobility pact aims to facilitate professional and educational exchanges. Leaders announced an “India–Netherlands roadmap” on green hydrogen and plans to link Dutch semiconductor competence centres with India’s Semiconductor Mission.
The two leaders addressed pressing geopolitical concerns as well. They expressed deep concern about volatility in West Asia and its effects on global trade and energy supplies, jointly urging freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and opposing measures that would restrict the global flow of commerce. Both also reaffirmed steady support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a just, lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
The Netherlands remains an important economic partner for India in Europe: bilateral trade reached USD 27.8 billion in 2024–25, and cumulative Dutch FDI in India stands at USD 55.6 billion, with the Port of Rotterdam functioning as a key logistical gateway.
Modi thanked Prime Minister Jetten for the Netherlands’ long-standing support for India’s bid for permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council. The Dutch leader condemned the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack and reiterated support against cross-border terrorism.
After the Afsluitdijk visit and official engagements, PM Modi was seen off at Schiphol Airport by PM Jetten before travelling on to Gothenburg, Sweden, to continue his European tour. Both leaders framed the new Strategic Partnership as a decade-plus culmination of growing ties rooted in shared democratic values, mutual economic interests and a commitment to combine Dutch expertise with Indian “speed and skill” to scale the partnership’s ambitions.
