Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that Netherlands remains among the top five investors of India, while highlighting that the people-to-people ties between the two nations are extremely deep.
Interacting with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten during a bilateral meeting, the prime minister also spoke about the shared values between India and the Netherlands, while adding that the relationship between the two nations has grown exponentially in the past 10 years.
"Today, we are taking that relationship between India and the Netherlands a step further with the announcement of our strategic partnership, a great milestone building on the trade agreement between the European Union and India. It will enable our countries to work together even more closely across a wide range of areas. Together we can drive ambitious innovation to strengthen both our countries," he said.
Talks Dutch CEOs
Ahead of his bilateral meeting with Jetten, PM Modi also participated in a roundtable conference with Dutch CEOs and invited them to India for more business opportunities, particularly in maritime, renewable energy, digital technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and healthcare sectors.
He told the CEOs that India is continuously increasing the ease of doing business and carried out next-generation reforms in taxation, labour code, and governance. India remains the world's fastest growing economy and is a symbol of scale and stability, 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.
Netherlands hands back Chola dynasty copper plates
In addition to this, Netherlands announced that it will hand over the 11th-century Chola dynasty copper plates to India. This happened during a ceremony attended by PM Modi and Jetten.
As per the prime minister, these plates consist of a collection of 21 large and three small plates, and most of the inscriptions on them are engraved in Tamil.
"These plates formalize the promise orally given by Emperor Rajendra Chola I to his father, Rajaraja Chola I. Moreover, they proclaim the glory of the Cholas. As Indians, we take immense pride in the Cholas' culture and naval prowess," he said on X.
MoUs signed
Earlier in the day, India's Tata and Netherlands' ASML signed an MoU to strengthen advancing the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India. The MoU was signed in presence of PM Modi and Jetten.
In a post on X, PM Modi said the ASML will support the setting up and scaling of Tata Electronics’ upcoming semiconductor facility in Dholera, Gujarat.
"India’s strides in the world of semiconductors offers immense opportunities for the youth of our nation. This is a sector in which we will keep adding vigour in the times to come," he said.
