India, Netherlands to strengthen defence cooperation

New Delhi: India and the Netherlands on Tuesday discussed ways to further strengthen defence cooperation, IANS reported.

The discussions took place during a meeting between the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen N.S. Raja Subramani and the Netherlands Ambassador to India, Marisa Gerards, here.

Following the meeting, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) on X wrote, "General NS Raja Subramani CDS, interacted with HE Ms Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India. The interaction reaffirmed the strong bilateral ties and explored avenues to further strengthen India-Netherlands defence cooperation."

Last month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met with his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, to discuss the Ukraine conflict and deliverables from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Netherlands earlier this year. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

"Appreciate the meeting with Tom Berendsen of Netherlands UNGA 81. Exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict. Also followed up on the deliverables from PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands earlier this year," EAM Jaishankar posted on X following the meeting.

In May, PM Modi was on an official visit to the Netherlands, where he and his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, held wide-ranging discussions to strengthen the India-Netherlands relationship, the ministry statement added.

Reflecting shared values and trust, and increasing convergence and cooperation between the two countries, the two leaders decided to elevate the bilateral relationship to a "Strategic Partnership".

They also agreed to adopt an ambitious Roadmap for Strategic Partnership to deepen cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, defence and security, emerging and critical technologies, maritime sector, renewable energy and education, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement.

PMs Modi and Jetten visited the Afsluitdijk Dam, a symbol of Dutch excellence in water management, flood protection and freshwater storage.

PM Modi also met the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. The two sides exchanged perspectives on boosting India-Netherlands friendship across key sectors.