Indian Prime Minister to visit Netherlands to announce a “strategic partnership”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the Netherlands before summer to formally announce a “strategic partnership” between the two countries, caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Thursday. Schoof made the comments while attending an international artificial intelligence summit in India.

Describing the visit as “an excellent boost” to the already strong ties between the Netherlands and India, Schoof said final arrangements for the trip are being finalized.

“Around the AI Summit, I also spoke one-on-one with Prime Minister @narendramodi about the excellent relationship between our countries. We collaborate closely in the areas of innovation and high tech, safety, water management, and trade. And with our upcoming Strategic Partnership, we are further expanding our relationship and confirming it for the long term,” Schoof wrote on X. He added that it is important for the two countries to rely on each other consistently in a rapidly changing world and noted that they also discussed the war in Ukraine and recent peace talks.

The announcement comes shortly after the European Commission and India reached a free trade agreement following years of negotiations. The deal includes a gradual elimination or reduction of import tariffs on European cars, machinery, olive oil, wine, and pharmaceutical products.

Schoof said he expects the agreement to be implemented quickly and described it as “less complicated” than the Mercosur deal with several Latin American countries, noting it does not involve agriculture or meat.

“With companies such as ASML, we have an excellent starting position to become a key player in this field. The Netherlands and Europe want to work intensively with India on AI,” Schoof added on X.