New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) The Netherlands on Tuesday said the visit of its Prime Minister Mark Rutte to India has helped in ensuring a significant forward movement in overall bilateral engagement between the two countries.
Rutte participated in the G20 Summit following which he travelled to Bengaluru on a trade mission.
Besides the G20 member nations, India invited leaders of the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Oman and Nigeria as guests to the summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rutte held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Sunday.
After the G20 summit concluded, Rutte travelled to Bengaluru and attended a meeting of a trade mission on Monday.
In his address at the plenary session of the mission, Rutte expressed his privilege in leading the trade mission to South India, particularly during India’s tenure as the G20 presidency.
At the trade mission, he was accompanied by top officials of some 60 leading Dutch companies in the field of medical technologies, sustainable food systems and key enabling technologies.
Talking about India’s status as the “world’s fastest-growing major economy”, Rutte reaffirmed his commitment to deepening bilateral relations with India and expressed excitement about engaging in discussions with local government officials and key players in the Indian private sector, according to the Dutch embassy in Delhi.
In Bengaluru, Rutte visited Dutch semiconductor company NXP, which has one of its main global research and innovation centres.
At NXP, he was shown demonstrations of some of the chip-technology that is currently being developed by NXP in India, as well as its practical uses, such as in Ola electric scooters.
“The day culminated in the signing of 27 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to reinforce the partnership, particularly in the fields of sustainable food systems, key enabling technologies and medical technology,” the Dutch embassy said in a statement.
It said these agreements underlined the mutual commitment of both nations to collaborate and advance in various domains.
“Many of these agreements are the culmination of contacts that were established during the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in 2019,” it said.
“India and the Netherlands have a long standing warm and friendly relationship that has aimed at promoting economic growth, sustainable development, innovation especially in the field of health, agriculture, climate, water, energy and people-to-people connect,” the Dutch embassy said.
This partnership took a significant step forward with the visit of Prime Minister Rutte, it said.
President of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) Ingrid Thijssen was a key member of Rutte’s delegation.
The embassy said the mission is aimed to harness the collective knowledge and expertise of both India and the Netherlands to develop sustainable solutions for the “challenges of our time”.
Thijssen said India is well on its way to becoming the world’s third largest economy.
“The tremendous growth that India is experiencing offers many opportunities for Dutch entrepreneurs. For instance, with our expertise in sustainable and efficient agriculture and horticulture, we can help ensure that India continues to feed its growing population,” she said.
“In addition, the rapid advancement of digitalization and the development of new technologies like artificial intelligence are taking off, and India is at the forefront of global medical technology,” she said.
“Combined with a well-educated and young workforce plus a favorable business climate, India presents an interesting market for Dutch businesses, particularly our innovative SME’s and start — and scaleups that joined us this week,” Thijssen said.
Rutte further engaged in a walk in Church Street in downtown Bengaluru on Monday to talk with the Bengaluru Mayor Sathya Sankaran, who explained efforts underway to expand the city’s infrastructure to support cycling.
The Dutch embassy said their dialogue revolved around making roads more bicycle friendly, a topic of great interest to Rutte, given the Dutch affinity for bicycles.
“Continuing the exploration of India’s technological landscape, Prime Minister Rutte experienced the fast-growing UPI payment method at Chai Point on Church street in Bengaluru,” it said.
It said he recognised UPI as a remarkable advancement in India’s digitalization journey, facilitating faster and more secure transactions, and appreciated India’s digital growth.
After Bengaluru, the trade mission will continue its journey to Hyderabad and Mumbai. PTI MPB ZMN
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